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u  My  Lord,.  I  can.  touch  a  bell  on  my 
ri^kt  handy  :and  order  the  arrest  of  a  citi- 
zen,  of  'Ohio.  loan  touch  the  boll  again, 
and  order  the  arrest  of  a  citizen  of  New 
York."  •'Can  the  Queen  of  England,, in  her 
dominions,  do  as  much.'?  " 

.  Mr,  Reward  to  Lord  Lyons,  Sept,  14,  1861. 


LIBRARY    OF    THE    COMMANDERY    OF 
THE  STATE  O  F  MASSAC  H  U  S  ETTS  M  I  L ITARY 
ORDER  OFTHE  LOYAL  LEGION  OF  THE 
UN  ITED  STATES 

CADET   ARMORY,    BOSTON 


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THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


ENDOWED  BY  THE 

DIALECTIC  AND  PHILANTHROPIC 

SOCIETIES 


E615 
.L83 


This  book  is  due  at  the  LOUIS  R.  WILSON  LIBRARY  on  the 
last  date  stamped  under  "Date  Due."  If  not  on  hold  it  may  be 
renewed  by  bringing  it  to  the  library. 


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BY  A  LADY, 


"WHO  ENJOYED  THE  HOSPITALITIES  OF  THE  GOVERNMENT 
FOR  A    "SEASON." 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1SGT, 

By  E.  J.   HALE   &  SON, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern 

District  of  New  York. 


TO  MY  FELLOW   SUFFEKEKS 


AMERICAN    BASTILES, 

AND 

TO  THE  MEMORY  OF  THAT  ARTICLE  OF  THE  CONSTITUTION  WHICH 
DECLARES,    THAT 

"  NO    PERSON    SHALL   BE    DEPRIVED    OP    LIFE,    LIBERTY, 

OR    PROPERTY,    WITHOUT    DUE    PROCESS    OF   LAW." 

THIS  BOOK  IS  RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hil 


http://archive.org/details/oldcapitolitsinmOOIoma 


PKEFACE. 


The  narrative  contained  in  the  following  pages  is 
substantially  a  correct  account  of  prison  life  in  the 
Old  Capitol  during  the  period  specified.  The  story 
of  each  prisoner  is  recorded  in  the  narrator's  own 
words  and  style,  as  far  as  is  practicable.  A  change 
has  of  course  been  made  in  all  names,  except  those 
of  Mrs.  Surratt  and  her  daughter.  Many  trivial  mat- 
ters and  events  have  been  noticed,  &s  they  serve  to 
show  the  petty  annoyances  to  which  prisoners  were 
subjected,  and  which  contributed  to  render  imprison- 
ment in  the  Old  Capitol  "  durance  vile,"  in  its  most 
literal  signification.  Written  soon  after  the  occurrence 
of  the  events  which  it  relates,  the  style  of  this  little 
work  is  necessarily  hurried,  its  only  object  being  the 
portrayal  of  one  of  the  many  phases  of  Southern 
suffering. 


8  CONTENTS. 

Conversation  -with  a  suspected  Yankee  Blockade-runner — 
Ordered  to  follow  a  Detective — Interview  with  Nelson  on 
reacting  the  Old  Capitol — Am  made  a  "note  on" — Put  in 
prison — My  room — Otlier  occupant 54 

CHAPTEE   V. 

Arrangements  for  sleeping  —  Eefresliments  —  Nine  o'clock 
Inspection — Horrors  of  the  first  niglit  —  Morning  reflec- 
tions  70 

CHAPTEE   VI. 

Mary's  account  of  Mrs.  Surratt's  arrest— Mary's  release  and 
second  arrest — That  keyliole — Recognize  an  acquaintance 
— Prison  rules 81 

CHAPTEE   VII. 

Sunday — Destruction  of  Commissary  Stores — Dinner — Unsuc- 
cessful attempt  to  communicate  with,  my  friends — Terribly 
frightened — Outside  supplies  cut  off 92 

CHAPTEE   VIII. 

"Journals  of  Civilization"? — Prison  Etiquette — The  faithful 
Hibernian — Prisoner  in  irons — Interview  with  Mr.  H. . . .  102 

CHAPTEE   IX. 

Allowed  to  visit  my  cousin — Return  at  nine  with  supplies — 
Disappointment — Rainy  day  in  prison — Another  arrival — 
Mrs.  Thomas's  story — Mary's  disgust 112 


0  CONTENTS.  9 

CHAPTER    X. 

Interview  with  Nelson — Second  visit  to  my  cousin — Her 
room — An  account  of  her  arrest — "Anna  Clarke" — De- 
scription of  Mr.  H 123 

CHAPTER   XI. 

Mr.  Windsor  before  the  Board — Mrs.  Surratt — The  "  Prince 
of  Detectives" — An  incident — The  Board  of  Inquiry. . .  .133 

CHAPTER    XII. 

Mrs.  Johnson — The  Confederate  prisoner — His  illness — Sub- 
sequent discoveries — Mrs.  Surratt's  kindness — Death  and 
burial  of  Confederate — Mrs.  M. — Another  alarm 142 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

The  "French  Actress" — Prison  quarrels — Miss  Lewis— The 
servant-girls — Mrs.  Jones's  story 153 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

The  "  ducks  and  chickens" — Mrs.  James — Mr.  Windsor  sum- 
moned before  the  Board — The  mob — An  alarm  of  fire — Miss 
Sallie  Jarvis 162 

CHAPTER   XV. 

Rainy  Sunday— Order  given  to  "double  the  guard" — Mrs. 
Surratt  summoned — Our  last  interview — Anna's  grief — H.'s 
account  of  Mrs.  Surratt's  treatment — Prison  scenes 171 

1* 


10  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   XVI. 

The   "  Contract  Preacher " — His    appearance — The   sermon — 
Mrs.  Johnson's  grief—"  Little  Tad." 178 

CHAP  TEE    XVII. 

Mr.  H.'s  commentary — Mrs.  Johnson's  request — Her  interview 
with  the  preacher — She  takes  the  oath — Father  W 189 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

An  attempted  escape — The  discovery — "Old"  Nelson — Novel 
use  of  Quartermaster's  stores — The  broken  door 196 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

Mrs.  Johnson  a  "  loyal  citizen"  at  last — Prison  espionage — My 
illness — and  summons — My  fears — Last  interview  with  the 
Judge  Advocate — My  release — The  kind-hearted  detective — 
My  wanderings — Safe 206 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Eeturn  to  Baltimore — Subsequent  illness — The  "Old  Capi- 
tol."  222 


THE 

OLD  CAPITOL  AND  ITS  INMATES. 


CHAPTER   I. 

Arrest  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Windsor — Trip  to  Washington — First 
view  of  the  Old  Capitol — Conversation  with  the  Super- 
intendent— Interview  with  Mrs.  Windsor. 

It  was  the  morning  of  the  6th  of  April,  1865, 
that  the  following  paragraph  in  the  day's  paper 
caught  my  eye : 

"  Yesterday  afternoon,  Mr.  Windsor  and  wife 
were  arrested  and  conveyed  to  the  Carrol  Prison. 
Mrs.  Windsor  is  the  sister  of  Major-General  B., 
of  the  Confederate  Army,  and  a  native  of  Balti- 
more, where  her  family  still  reside." 

The  notice  shocked  me  exceedingly,  as  I  had 
left  my  friend  but  a  few  days  before,  just  re- 
covering from  severe  sickness,  and  I  knew  the 
risk  and  danger  to  her  of  any  great  excitement. 


12  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

My  first  impulse  was  immediately  to  go  to  lier.  I 
did  not  hope  to  procure  her  release,  but  thought 
I  might  obtain  permission  to  see  her,  and  learn 
the  cause  of  her  incarceration.  I  found  on  con- 
sulting my  watch,  that  I  should  be  obliged  to 
wait  for  the  train  leaving  Baltimore  the  ensuing 
morning  at  seven.  But  the  day  was  not  lost,  for 
I  busied  myself  in  preparing  such  articles  as  I 
judged  would  be  acceptable  under  the  circum- 
stances. 

Seven  A.  m.,  found  me  at  the  depot,  with  my 
basket,  etc.  I  took  the  cars  and  arrived  in 
"Washington  at  the  usual  time. 

My  first  visit  was  to  a  lawyer,  whose  advice  I 
needed  in  regard  to  obtaining  a  pass  to  visit  my 
friend.  He  strongly  opposed  my  desire,  and 
begged  me  by  all  means  to  return  home,  for  such 
was  the  excitement  in  the  city,  that  no  one  was 
safe  from  arrest.  I  assured  him  I  had  no  fears 
on  that  score,  as  I  had  done  nothing  to  provoke 
the  hostility  of  the  Government;  and,  besides 
that,  I  was  much  too   insignificant   to   attract 


* 

FIRST   VIEW   OF   THE   OLD   CAPITOL.  13 

notice.  Seeing  I  was  not  to  be  moved,  he  advised 
me  to  try  and  obtain  a  pass  through  H.,  the  Su- 
perintendent of  the  prison,  whom  he  represented 
as  a  rough  but  kind-hearted  man.  If  H.  was 
absent,  or  if  he  refused  to  admit  me,  then  I 
would  be  obliged  to  see  the  Judge  Advocate  at 
the  War  Department,  and  request  a  passport. 
Thanking  him  for  his  kindness,  I  left  to  try  the 
effect  of  woman's  eloquence  on  the  rough  cus- 
tomer with  whom  I  had  to  deal. 

"  Carrol  Prison"  and  the  "  Old  Capitol"  are 
adjoining  houses,  situated  on  a  hill  in  rear  of  the 
present  Capitol.  They  occupy  the  whole  length 
of  a  square  in  front,  with  wings  extending  each 
side,  so  that  there  is  about  half  a  square  of 
ground  in  the  centre.  The  Old  Capitol  contain- 
ed Confederate  soldiers,  prisoners  of  war,  while 
Carrol — main  building— was  devoted  to  the  use  of 
such  unfortunate  females  as  aroused  either  the 
ire  or  suspicion  of  the  Government,  with  the  oc- 
casional addition  of  a  Southern  Governor,  and 
cotton-planter,  prisoners  of  state.     One  wing  of 


14:  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

the  building  was  appropriated  to  the  family  of 
H.,  and  the  other  contained,  for  the  most  part, 
horse  thieves,  fraudulent  contractors,  unlucky 
blockade-runners,  and  a  variety  of  nondescripts  ; 
in  short,  a  company  more  numerous  than  select. 
Such  was  Carrol  Prison,  on  my  first  arrival. 

On  reaching  the  top  of  the  steep  hill,  I  saw 
before  me  the  lonsr  row  of  tall  buildings  with 
many  windows,  all  of  which  were  secured  with 
iron  bars  similar  to  those  which  protect  the  win- 
dows of  a  jail.  The  casements  were  devoid  of 
glass,  except  in  one  room,  and  the  wing  occupied 
by  H.  Before  the  row  of  buildings,  and  also 
opposite,  paced  the  guard  with  measured  step. 
Occasionally  a  forlorn-looking  creature  would 
approach  the  barred  window,  and  look  with 
longing  gaze  on  the  grass  and  trees  oppo- 
site, which  were  now  tinted  with  the  green  of 
spring. 

I  approached  the  first  soldier  I  saw,  and  said, 
"  "Will  you  please  to  tell  me  where  Carrol  Prison 
is?"     The  only  answer  I  received  was  a  jerk  of 


CAEKOL   PRISON.  15 

the  thumb  over  his  shoulder.  Supposing  he 
meant  by  the  action  that  I  was  to  go  farther  on, 
I  did  so,  and  encountering  a  chap  of  some  sixteen 
years,  whose  nasal  twang  betrayed  his  nation- 
ality, I  made  the  same  inquiry  of  him. 

"  Carrol  Prison  ?  That's  it,  where  you  see  the 
men  standing  at  the  door.  Want  to  see  some- 
body there  ?  " 

"Yes,"  I  replied;  "I  wish  to  see  Mr.  H." 

"  Guess  you  can't  see  him  ;  but  spozen  you 
might  as  well  try." 

As  that  was  what  I  fully  intended  doing,  I 
walked  on  to  the  door  indicated,  which  was  about 
midway  the  square. 

I  entered  a  wide  hall,  with  benches  on  both 
sides,  one  of  which  was  occupied  by  soldiers  off 
duty,  principally  Dutch,  who  were  discussing  the 
merits  of  favorite  officers,  and  boasting  their 
own  deeds  of  valor,  in  a  lingo  which  I  suppose 
they  regarded  as  English.  All  I  could  under- 
stand was,  "  Dat  vat  dey  gits  for  fighting  mit 
Siegel,"  which  seemed   to   be   the   burden   and 


16  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

refrain  of  the  whole  conversation.  Seated  on 
the  opposite  bench,  I  had  a  fine  opportunity 
of  studying  the  physique  of  these  valiant 
defenders,  and  also  of  exercising  my  own  pa- 
tience. 

At  length  I  heard  voices  in  the  room  oppo- 
site,— and  now  the  door  is  opened,  and  a  lady 
and  gentleman  leave,  being  escorted  to  their  car- 
riage by  a  man  of  middle  height,  very  stout,  with 
florid  complexion,  dark  hair;  somewhat  gray,  and 
eyes  that  twinkled  incessantly — in  fact  he  re- 
minded me  of  pictures  of  "  Santa  Claus,"  except 
on  a  smaller  scale.  I  immediately  concluded 
that  this  person  was  the  one  I  sought.  Con- 
trolling my  nervousness  as  well  as  I  could,  I 
mustered  sufficient  courage  on  his  return  to  the 
building  to  say : 

" Can  I  see  Mr.  H.  for  a  few  moments?" 
"  Certainly,  madam ;  I  am  he ;  walk  in."    Say- 
ing which,  he  threw  open  the  door  of  the  room 
I    had  before  noticed.     I  entered,   and  found 
myself  in   a  large  room  with  no  furniture,  ex- 


CONVERSATION  WITH  THE  SUPERINTENDENT.       17 

cept  a  few  chairs,  and  in  one  corner  a  large 
upright  desk,  at  which  a  man  sat  writing,  stop- 
ping every  now  and  then  to  thrust  a  bundle 
of  papers  into  one  of  the  numerous  pigeon- 
holes. 

"Well,  madam,"  said  H.,  "and  what  can  I 
do  for  you?" 

"  I  ascertained  that  you  have  in  your  custody 
a  prisoner,  Mrs.  Windsor,  whom  I  am  extremely 
anxious  to  see,  and  I  have  come  here  for  the 
purpose  of  requesting  an  interview." 

"Have  you  a  pass,  madam  ?" 

"No,  sir,  but  I  understood  you  had  the  au- 
thority to  admit  visitors." 

"Then  you  understood  a  very  wrong  thing, 
and  whoever  told  you  that,  knew  nothing  about 
it." 

"But,"  I  persisted,  "do  you  never  allow  vis- 
itors without  a  pass?" 

To  this  question  I  had  no  answer,  but  a  shrug 
of  the  shoulders.  While  this  conversation  was 
progressing,  the  men  from  the  other  rooms  had 


18  THE    OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

collected,  and  were  listening.  At  length  H. 
said, 

"Where  are  you  from,  madam?" 

"  Baltimore,  at  present,  sir." 

At  that  he  uttered  a  low  whistle,  and  remarked 
in  an  undertone,  "Hot-bed  of  Secessionists;" 
then  to  me : 

"Of  what  State  are  you  a  native?" 

"  Virginia,"  I  replied,  drawing  myself  up  a 
little.     Another  whistle,  and  silence. 

"  Any  relation  to  the  prisoner  ?  " 

"  First  cousin,  sir." 

At  that  he  stooped  down,  picked  up  a  stick 
which  was  lying  on  the  floor,  and  began  to 
"whittle."     I  began  to  grow  impatient : 

"Am  I  to  see  my  friend,  or  not,  sir?  " 

"Ever  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance,  madam?" 

"No,  sir." 

"Any  objection  to  doing  so,  madam?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Why,  madam?  "  all  this  time  not  taking  his 
eyes  off  the  stick,  or  changing  his  attitude. 


CONTERSATION  WITH  THE  SUPEBINTENDENT.       19 

"Because,  sir,  I  have  been  paroled,  and  if  my 
word  is  not  sufficient,  neither  would  my  oath  be." 

Another  low  whistle;  then,  "That's  true, 
madam ;  but  there  is  where  I  have  the  advantage 
of  you  Christians.  I  can  swear  to  any  thing — it 
makes  no  difference — ha !  ha !  ha !  Who  paroled 
you  ?  " 

"General  Butler." 

He  looked  up  as  if  astonished. 

"Are  you  loyal,  madam?  " 

"Perfectly,"  I  answered,  returning  the  steady 
look,  at  which  he  had  recourse  to  the  stick  again, 
and  remained  silent. 

"Well,  sir,"  said  I,  at  last,  "what  are  you 
going  to  do?" 

He  did  not  answer  for  several  minutes,  and 
then  said,  slowly  and  hesitatingly,  as  if  speaking 
more  to  himself  than  to  me  : 

"  If  I  was  only  sure  of  your  loyalty,  you  see ;" 
then  stopped,  and,  looking  up  from  the  stick, 
asked  abruptly : 

"  What  is  your  name  ?  " 


20  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

"Maria  Miller,"  I  replied.  I  expected  tlie 
next  question  to  be,  "Who  gave  you  this  name?" 
but  it  was  only, 

"Any  relation  to  the  Dr.  Miller  of  this  city?" 

"  No,  sir." 

"  "Well,  then,  I  guess  I  may  as  well  let  you  see 
your  cousin,  if" — stopping  again,  and  looking  me 
full  in  the  face — "  you  are  sure  you  are  loyal." 

"  Why,  sir,  can  you  doubt  it,  when  I  tell  you  I 
haye  been  paroled  by  General  Butler  ?  " 

He  made  no  reply,  but  called  out,  "  Nelson  !  " 

A  man,  tall  and  lank,  with  sandy  hair  and 
beard,  answered  the  summons. 

"  Here,  take  this  basket " — pointing  to  mine — 
"  and  if,  on  inspection,  it  proves  to  be  all  right, 
give  it  to  Mr.  Windsor,  room  No.  10,  second 
floor,  and  tell  Mrs.  Windsor  she  is  wanted  down- 
stairs." 

Nelson  took  the  basket  and  departed,  and 
H.  also.  I  drew  a  chair  towards  me,  and  took 
my  seat,  awaiting  the  arrival  of  my  friend.  In 
the  mean  time,  several  men  in  citizens'  clothes 


INTERVIEW   WITH   MRS.    WINDSOR.  21 

came  in ;  two  of  them  sat  near  me,  while  one 
walked  up  and  down  the  room.  I  immediately 
surmised  that  these  "gentlemen"  were  govern- 
ment detectives,  nor  was  I  mistaken. 

After  the  lapse  of  some  fifteen  or  twenty 
minutes,  my  friend  appeared,  conducted  by  Nel- 
son. She  was  very  much  agitated,  and  her  first 
words  were,  "What  on  earth  induced  you  to 
come?" — not  very  flattering,  considering  the 
trouble  I  had  taken. 

"I  came  to  see  you.  As  soon  as  I  read  of 
your  arrest,  I  determined  to  see  you,  if  possible, 
and  ascertain  what  was  best  to  be  done." 

"Oh,  you  will  never  get  out  of  this  place 
again,"  said  Mrs.  Windsor,  wringing  her  hands. 

"  Stop,"  said  I ;  "  this  will  never  do."  I  took 
her  hand  in  mine,  but  I  had  no  sooner  done  so 
than  the  man  I  mentioned  before,  stopped  and 
stood  opposite,  watching  us  closely. 

"  Just  see  that  detective,  how  he  is  watching 
us,"  whispered  my  friend.     "  Oh,  go  ;  please  go." 

"  Just  listen  to  me,"  said  I.     "  You  are  fright- 


22  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

ened  out  of  your  wits,  and  imagine  all  sorts  of 
things.  Now,  I  want  you  to  tell  me  how  you 
came  here,  and  what  I  can  do  to  help  you." 

"I  cannot  tell  you  while  those  men  are  by,  and 
please  let  go  my  hand,  or  they  will  think  I  am 
giving  you  something." 

"  Oh,  that's  it,  is  it  ?  "Well,  I  will  relieve  their 
anxiety,"  at  the  same  time  opening  my  hand,  so 
the  man  watching  could  see  I  had  nothing  in  it, 
which  little  manoeuvre  on  my  part  seemed  to 
satisfy  him,  for  he  walked  into  the  next  room. 

"Now  you  can  tell  me,"  said  I,  moving  my 
chair,  so  as  to  turn  my  back  partly  towards  the 
other  two. 

"I  really  do  not  know  what  the  charges  are 
against  us,  except  that  Ned,  our  man-servant, 
reported  that  Mr.  Mallory,  from  Eichmond,  had 
been  staying  at  our  house,  and  that,  I  believe, 
led  to  our  arrest." 

"  How  utterly  absurd." 

"Yes;  birt  I  will  tell  you  how  the  mistake 
originated.     Do  you  remember  the  young  man, 


INTERVIEW   WITH  MRS.    WINDSOR.  23 

Robert  Mallory,  that  Mr.  "Windsor  had  as  tutor 
for  the  boys,  years  ago,  and  who  afterwards  went 
to  Richmond?" 

"  Certainly  I  do." 

"Well,  it  happened  one  day  at  dinner,  a 
gentleman  at  our  house  was  asking  about  him, 
and  Ned,  who  was  'waiting,  heard  the  conversa- 
tion, and  I  suppose  confounded  the  two  men ; 
at  any  rate,  a  few  days  after  that,  Ned  was  dis- 
missed for  some  misdemeanor,  and  the  follow- 
ing day  his  mother  went  to  see  Mr.  Windsor's 
sister-in-law,  and  told  her  she  was  afraid  Ned 
was  going  to  get  us  into  trouble,  as  he  had  been 
to  Colonel  Foster  and  told  him  Mr.  Mallory  had 
been  staying  at  our  house." 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  said  I,  "that  this  can  be 
very  easily  disproved." 

"But  I  am  so  afraid  of  being  sent  to  the  Mas- 
sachusetts' Penitentiary,"  said  my  friend,  cry- 
ing afresh. 

"  Is  there  any  thing  you  are  uneasy  about  ?" 
said  I. 


24:  THE   OLD   CAPITOL    AND   ITS   ESTIMATES. 

"Yes;  do  you  remember  brother  Harry  send- 
ing us  the  photographs  of  Will.  Gordon  and 
himself  ?" 

"  Those  you  sent  me  ?  I  have  them  both  now 
at  home ;  you  asked  me  to  keep  them  for  you, 
which  I  have  done." 

"  Oh,  why  have  you  not  burned  them  ?" 

"  Because  you  did  not  tell  me  to,  and  as  they 
came  by  flag  of  truce,  I  see  no  harm  in  keeping 
them." 

"  But  Will's  has  on  the  back,  '  Mrs.  Windsor, 
with  the  compliments  of  Will.  Gordon,  15th  Ya. 
Cay.'  " 

"  What  of  that  ?" 

"Will.,  it  seems,  came  over  lately.  He  ran 
the  blockade  and  was  captured,  and  is  now  in 
the  Old  Capitol.  They  accuse  him  of  being  a 
spy,  and  intend  hanging  him.  If  they  find 
that  photograph  with  my  name  on  it,  they 
will  be  sure  to  accuse  me  of  harboring  him, 
and  then  we  will  be  sent  to  the  penitentiary  for 
life." 


INTERVIEW    WITH   MKS.    WINDSOR.  25 

"But  surely  the  date  on  the  picture  will  show 
that  it  was  not  sent  recently." 

"  There  is  no  date  on  it  that  I  can  remem- 
ber ;  besides,  it  would  be  no  proof  to  the  au- 
thorities." 

I  began  to  be  a  little  uneasy. 

"  If  I  could  only  have  those  pictures  burnt," 
said  Mrs.  Windsor,  "I  should  rest  contented." 

"  Then  I  will  go  back  immediately  and  burn 
them." 

"You  cannot,  they  will  never  let  you  go; 
besides,  they  must  have  the  photographs  by  this 
time." 

"I  will  attempt  it,  at  any  rate.  But  how  shall 
I  let  you  know  if  I  succeed  '?  Let  me  think.  I 
have  it  now.  I  will  get  permission  to  send  you  a 
telegram,  and  if  I  have  destroyed  the  pictures 
I  will  say,  '  Arrived  safely — found  all  well ;'  but 
if  the  detectives  have  them,  I  will  say,  '  Arrived 
safely — mother  not  so  well.'     Will  that  answer?" 

"Capitally,"  said  my  friend,  her  face  brighten- 
ing. 

2 


26  THE    OLD    CAPITOL    AND    ITS    INMATES. 

At  that  moment  Mr.  Nelson  made  his  appear- 
ance to  inform  me  that  the  time  was  up,  and  I 
had  to  go ;  but  before  doing  so,  I  said, 

"  Mr.  Nelson,  is  there  any  objection  to  my 
sending  a  dispatch  to  you  for  my  friend?  I 
wish  to  assure  her  of  my  safe  arrival  at  home, 
and  also  of  the  condition  of  her  mother,  about 
whom  she  is  uneasy." 

"  Certainly  not,  madam." 

"  If  you  will  give  me  your  address,  sir,  I  shall 
be  obliged." 

He  immediately  went  to  the  desk  and  wrote, 
"  Jas.  A.  Nelson,  Superintendent,  Carrol  Prison." 

"  I  shall  send  the  telegram  to  you,  sir,  to  be 
delivered  to  Mrs.  Windsor." 

"  Very  well,  madam.     I  will  attend  to  it." 

Turning  to  my  friend,  I  bade  her  good-bye, 
and  betook  myself  to  the  depot. 


CHAPTER   II. 

Return  to  Baltimore — Destruction  of  the  photographs — Fol- 
lowed  by  Detectives — Another  trip  to  Washington — First 
visit  to  the  Judge  Advocate's  office — Scene  at  the  Judge 
Advocate's  office  the  following  clay — Dennis  Ryan's  story — 
The  dead  Confederate. 

I  had  a  cold,  bleak  ride  to  Baltimore,  and  al- 
though it  was  the  express  train,  yet  it  seemed  to 
me  to  move  slowly,  such  was  my  impatience. 
On  our  way  we  passed  the  car  containing  the 
remains  of  President  Lincoln,  bound  for  Balti- 
more. When  I  reached  the  city,  I  found  every 
place  closed,  and  flags  and  crape  in  any  quantity 
fluttering  in  the  breeze.  My  fear  was  that  there 
would  be  no  conveyance  at  the  depot,  but  I  was 
mistaken,  for  notwithstanding  the  manifest  grief, 
I  found  that  business  was  still  attended  to.  I 
jumped  into  the  first  carriage  I  saw,  and  told 
the  man  to  drive  quickly  to  No.  33 Street, 


28  THE    OLD    CAPITOL    AND    ITS    INMATES. 

my  heart  beating  rapidly,  the  meanwhile,  every 
time  I  thought  of  the  probable  fate  of  the  un- 
fortunate photographs,  for  I  had  no  more  fancy 
for  a  Massachusetts  Penitentiary  than  had  my 
friend. 

I  reached  my  boarding-house  in  safety,  and 
the  first  thing  I  did,  was  to  open  my  album, 
where,  to  my  great  relief,  I  saw  the  pictures  of 
both  Harry  and  Will.,  in  undisturbed  serenity, 
gazing  at  me  with  open-eyed  wonder,  as  I  tore 
them  ruthlessly  from  their  fastenings,  and  strik- 
ing a  match  consigned  them  to  the  flames.  I 
drew  a  long  breath  as  I  saw  them  gradually 
turn  to  ashes.  And  now  I  made  ready  to  send 
the  dispatch,  but  on  arriving  at  the  office  to 
my  great  discomfort  found  it  closed.  Of  course 
there  was  but  one  thing  to  do — wait — but  that, 
under  the  circumstances,  was  very  difficult. 

The  next  day  I  was  more  successful,  and 
congratulated  myself  on  executing  the  business 
so  satisfactorily.  But,  alas !  "  the  best  laid 
plans,"  etc.     I  discovered   afterwards   that  the 


FOLLOWED   BY    DETECTIVES.  29 

telegram  never  reached  its  destination.  "Whether 
it  was  owing  to  our  being  overheard  bj  the 
watchful  detectives,  or  whether  Nelson's  mind 
misgave  him,  I  am  not  able  to  say. 

I  had  been  at  home  a  week  or  ten  days  with- 
out hearing  from  my  friends,  or  having  anything 
occur  to  alarm  me.  The  whole  country  was 
in  an  intense  state  of  excitement,  hunting  Booth 
and  his  accomplices.  Nothing  was  thought  or 
talked  of,  but  the  one  great  event.  It  was  at 
this  juncture  that  I  determined  to  pay  a  second 
visit  to  Washington,  and  endeavor  to  effect  the 
release  of  my  friends.  Had  I  really  understood 
the  true  state  of  affairs,  I  would  have  known 
how  futile  all  efforts  at  that  time  would  have 
been.  My  gentlemen  friends  did  their  utmost 
to  dissuade  me ;  but  having  no  very  high  opinion 
of  masculine  moral  courage,  I  determined  to 
take  the  matter  in  my  own  hands  and  go.  I 
had  noticed  on  my  previous  visit  to  Washing- 
ton, and  ever  since  my  return,  I  had  been 
followed  in  my  walks  by  persons  whom  1  sup- 


30  THE    OLD    CAriTOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

posed  to  be  detectives.  Conscious  of  my  own 
rectitude,  the  matter,  gave  me  little  or  no  con- 
cern, except  the  feeling  of  annoyance  at  being 
watched. 

On  my  arrival  at  Washington,  I  found  the 
excitement,  if  anything,  intensified — soldiers  on 
guard  in  every  direction — news  boys  shouting 
"  Extras" — men  loafing  at  corners,  talking  in 
loud  tones,  and  gesticulating  violently — and 
parties  of  boys  and  half-grown  men,  parading 
the  streets,  crying,  "  death  to  murderers  and 
traitors,"  "  vengeance,"  etc.,  etc.  I  made  my 
way  as  fast  as  I  could  to  my  friend  the  law- 
yer, and  told  him  my  plan,  which  was,  to  see 
the  Secretary  of  "War  and  lay  the  matter  of  my 
friends'  arrest  before  him,  and  ask  their  release. 
I  told  him  I  had  proof  of  their  innocence,  and  it 
was  those  proofs  I  wished  to  have  examined. 
My  friend  endeavored  to  dissuade  me,  assuring 
me  that  no  one  was  safe,  that  he  had  heard  the 
best  Union  men  in  New  York  say,  that  nothing 
would  induce  them  to  go  to  Washington  during 


AT   THE   CARROL   PRISON   AGAIN.  31 

the  excitement.  I  replied  that  it  might  be 
unsafe  for  gentlemen,  but  surely  no  woman  ran 
any  risk ;  at  any  rate  there  were  none  who 
seemed  willing  to  help  my  friends  now,  and  I 
was  determined  to  do  all  I  could. 

I  nest  proceeded  to  the  Carrol  Prison  and  in- 
quired, as  before,  for  Mr.  H.,  but  learned  to  my 
vexation  that  he  was  absent.  I  then  asked  to 
see  Nelson,  and  on  his  making  his  appearance 
said,  "  Can  you  not  allow  me  to  see  Mrs.  "Wind- 
sor?" 

"  No,"  he  answered  gruffly. 

"  When  will  Mr.  H.  return  ?  " 

"  Can't  say ;  may-be  to-night ;  may-be  not  for 
a  week." 

Here  was  a  damper ;  but  I  said, 

"  Will  you  take  my  basket  and  empty  it  ?  it  is 
for  Mrs.  Windsor,  you  know." 

He  picked  up  the  basket  and  took  it  with  him, 
returning  in  a  few  moments. 

"To  whom  must  I  go  to  get  a  pass?"  said  I. 

"  Judge  Advocate,  War  Department." 


32  THE    OLD    CAPITOL    ANT)    ITS    INMATES. 

"  Thank  you.  "Will  you  be  kind  enough  to  tell 
my  friends  I  came,  but  was  not  allowed  to  see 
them?" 

"  No,  I'll  not ;  do  you  suppose  I  have  nothing- 
else  to  do,  but  run  on  errands?" 

I  answered  nothing,  but,  taking  my  basket, 
left  with  a  heavy  heart.  Suddenly  it  struck  me 
I  could  let  the  Windsors  know  I  had  been  there, 
in  spite  of  Nelson.  So  I  walked  down  to  the  end 
of  the  square,  slowly,  as  if  my  empty  basket  was 
very  heavy ;  then  crossed  on  the  opposite  side, 
and  walked  leisurely  along,  putting  my  weight 
down,  every  now  and  then,  as  if  to  rest.  The 
guard  on  that  side  took  me,  I  suppose,  for  some 
one  coining  from  market,  for  he  just  glanced  at 
me  and  passed  on. 

My  friends'  room  I  knew  was  a  front  one,  so  I 
was  pretty  sure  they  would  see  me  from  their 
window ;  nor  was  I  mistaken.  Mrs.  Windsor 
told  me  afterwards  what  a  relief  it  was,  for,  not 
receiving  the  telegram,  she  had  taken  it  for 
granted  that  I  was  in  prison. 


VISIT   TO   TUB   JUDGE   ADVOCATE.  66 

I  now  proceeded  to  the  Judge  Advocate's 
office,  which  was  located  near  the  War  Depart- 
ment. Passing  through  the  unwashed  crowd,  I 
asked  the  way  of  the  messenger  at  the  door. 
He  pointed  up  the  flight  of  steep  narrow  steps, 
and  said,  "  Second  floor,  to  left."  On  reaching 
the  top  of  the  dark  stairway,  I  saw  an  open  door, 
which  I  entered,  and  found  myself  in  a  large 
room,  with  about  half-a-dozen  men  busily  writ- 
ing, and  some  three  or  four  reading  the  papers. 
On  repeating  my  question,  a  man  showed  me 
into  a  front  room,  and  informed  me  that  the 
officer  was  then  at  the  Old  Capitol,  but  was 
expected  in  half  an  hour. 

"  Very  well.     I  will  wait,"  said  I. 

I  looked  around  the  room  to  see  what  there 
was  of  interest.  Nothing  at  all ;  the  furniture 
just  such  as  I  had  seen  in  the  public  offices, 
except  that  this  had  the  advantage  of  being- 
new.  I  soon  became  tired  of  waiting  and  star- 
ing about,  and  was  wishing  for  the  paper  a 
man  near  me  seemed  reading.     I  suppose  this 

2* 


34:  THE   OLD    CAPITOL   AXD    ITS    INMATES. 

thought  induced  me  to  raise  my  eyes  to  his  face, 
and  as  I  did  so,  I  perceived  he  was  not  reading, 
but  watching  me.  His  face  was  so  strangely 
familiar,  that  it  startled  me.  The  man,  on  seeing 
my  look  of  surprise,  immediately  turned  his  back 
and  commenced  reading.  Just  then  I  heard  a 
carriage  drive  to  the  door,  and  looking  out,  I 
caught  a  glimpse  of  an  officer  in  uniform,  who 
quickly  ascended  the  stairs,  and  entered  the 
room  where  I  was. 

"The  Judge  Advocate,  I  presume,"  said  I, 
rising  from  my  seat. 

He  bowed. 

"  I  have  come  to  request  permission  to  visit  a 
relation  now  confined  in  the  Carrol  Prison,"  I 
said,  in  a  tremulous  voice. 

"The  name?"  he  asked. 

"  Mrs.  Windsor." 

"  I  have  no  knowledge  of  any  such  prisoner. " 

"Yes,  sir,  she  and  her  husband  have  been 
there  for  the  past  ten  days." 

"  On  what  charge  ?  " 


VISIT   TO   THE  JUDGE   ADVOCATE.  60 

I  related  to  him  what  I  had  heard  about  the 
servant.     He  listened  attentively. 

"  Are  your  friends  loyal  ?  " 

"  Undoubtedly." 

"  Then  give  yourself  no  uneasiness  ;  it  will  all 
be  arranged  in  a  few  days." 

"  I  thought  of  going  to  see  the  Secretary  of 
War,  and  asking  him  for  my  friends'  release." 

"  That  is  not  at  all  necessary.  /  have  charge 
of  the  prisoners,  and  can  open  the  doors  to  any. 
Besides  that,  the  Secretary  is  so  full  of  business 
now,  arresting  conspirators,  that  he  would  not, 
in  all  probability,  listen  to  you.  A  visit  to  him 
would  be  useless." 

"  Can  you  not  give  me  a  pass  into  the  prison  ? 
I  came  over  from  Baltimore  this  morning,  and 
wish  to  return  to-night." 

"  "Well,  no ;  I  can  hardly  do  that  to-day,  as 
I  shall  be  obliged  to  see  the  record  at  the  Car- 
rol first ;  but  if  you  can  remain  until  to-mor- 
row, and  come  here  at  twelve,  I  will  give  you  a 
pass." 


36  THE   OLD    CAPITOL    AND   ITS    INMATES. 

"  Very  well,  sir,  I  will  do  so  ;"  and  I  began 
moving  towards  the  door,  when  he  said  : 

"  Wait  one  moment ;  I  wish  to  make  memo- 
randa  of  what  yon  have  told  me  ;"  saying  which, 
he  walked  from  the  fire  by  which  we  had  been 
standing  to  his  desk  opposite.  He  was  quite  a 
fine  looking  man — that  is,  tall  and  well  propor- 
tioned, but  with  a  slight  stoop  in  the  shoulders, 
which  convinced  me  he  had  not  had  a  mili- 
tary education,  although  he  tried  to  impress  me 
with  the  contrary  idea.  Another  peculiarity 
which  struck  me  was,  the  similarity  of  color  in 
his  hair,  beard,  and  buttons.  His  face  was  full, 
and  his  eyes  small  and  very  light  blue,  but  ex- 
ceedingly bright.  I  had  a  fine  opportunity  of 
studying  his  face  as  he  sat  at  the  desk  and 
wrote ;  but  I  could  discover  nothing,  except  that 
he  was  very  much  elated  at  the  position  he  occu- 
pied, and  wished  to  make  the  most  of  it — a  par- 
donable vanity,  I  thought,  in  one  who  had  before 
the  war  been  nobody. 

He  scratched  off  a  few  lines,  and  then,  turn- 


VISIT    TO    THE   JUDGE   ADVOCATE.  Si 

ing  to  me,  bowed  very  politely,  which  I  con- 
sidered as  a  hint  to  leave,  and  did  so,  with  a 
lightened  and  hopeful  heart.  What  a  kind  man, 
thought  I,  the  Judge  Advocate  is  !  I  wondered 
indeed  that  my  friends  in  Baltimore  should  have 
opposed  my  visit  to  "Washington,  when  I  had 
already  been  so  successful.  I  sounded  his 
praises  to  my  friend  at  whose  house  I  was  stay- 
ing, until  she  too  placed  him  on  a  high  pedestal, 
and  we  said,  "Now  if  the  other  officials  were  only 
like  him."  Alas,  "  Will  you  walk  into  my  parlor, 
said  the  spider  to  the  fly,"  etc. 

After  a  restless  night  of  unrefreshing  sleep, 
I  arose,  and  waited  as  patiently  as  I  could  the 
time  appointed  for  my  second  interview.  At 
length  twelve  o'clock  drew  near,  and  as  my  watch 
pointed  to  the  hour,  I  entered  the  Judge  Advo- 
cate's office.  A  disappointment  was  in  store  for 
me — the  Judge  Advocate  was  not  there.  The 
room  was  crowded  with  men  and  women,  all 
having  an  anxious,  distressed  expression  of  coun- 
tenance.    Among  the   persons,   I  recognized  a 


3S  THE    OLD    CAPITOL   AND   ITS    INMATES. 

former  acquaintance,  who  told  me  she  had  come 
from  a  great  distance  to  try  and  procure  the 
release  of  her  brother-in-law,  who  was  dying  of 
consumption  in  the  Old  Capitol.  He  was  a  Con- 
federate soldier,  whose  campaigns  were  now 
ended,  and  whose  one  longing  was  to  die  at 
home.  An  old  man  with  snow-white  hair,  which 
hung  down  on  his  shoulders,  also  attracted  my 
attention,  as  he  walked  restlessly  up  and  down 
the  room.  Seeing  I  was  looking  at  him,  he  aj> 
proached  and  said  in  an  excited  tone  : 

"  Madam,  I  hope  you  have  no  one  you  love 
confined  yonder,"  pointing  toward  the  prison- 
building. 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  I  have  two  very  dear  relations." 

"  Then,  God  pity  you,  and  help  them  ;"  saying 
which,  he  continued  his  walk  for  a  few  moments, 
then  stopped  again  and  said  :  "  Madam,  I  have  a 
daughter  there,  a  school-girl,  hardly  in  her  teens, 
an  only  child,  and  her  mother  dead.  I  have 
been  here  day  after  day,  trying  to  see  my  darling, 
and  every  day  been  refused  admittance."     The 


DENNIS    KYAn's    STORY.  39 

tears  rolled  clown  his  cheeks,  and  wiping  them 
off,  he  added  :  "  Excuse  me,  madam  ;  I  am  an  old 
man,  with  but  little  of  life  before  me,  and  my  lot 
is  a  hard  one." 

I  made  no  reply,  and  he  continued  his  walk. 
Another  group  that  attracted  my  attention, 
was  a  poor  Irish  woman,  with  two  children, 
one  four  years  of  age  and  the  other  twelve 
months.  The  mother  was  miserably  clad,  and 
looked  in  the  last  degree  wretched,  as  she  tried 
to  quiet  the  fretful  child.  I  went  up  to  her  and 
said  : 

"  Your  little  baby  seems  to  be  sick." 

"  And  indade  he  is,  ma'am." 

"  What  are  you  doing  here  ?  " 

"I've  come  all  the  way  from  New  York, 
ma'am,  to  try  and  see  the  father." 

"Ah,  where  is  he?" 

"  In  the  Carrol,  I  thinks  they  call  it,  ma'am." 

"  Is  he  a  soldier  ?  " 

"  Agin'  his  will,  ma'am,  and  I'll  just  tell  yees. 
You  see  the  conscript  come  round,  and  the  first 


40  THE   OLD   CAPITOL    A.XD   ITS   USTMATES. 

tiling  Dennis  (that's  the  father)  knowed  he  was 
marched  off  and  'listed.  They  said  the  city 
would  pay  money  to  the  families  of  them  as 
went  for  soldiers,  and  so  it  did  for  a  while, 
ma'am,  but  not  as  much  as  the  father  made  by 
his  work.  I  got  on  well,  although  my  heart  was 
a'most  brohed  in  two.  That  was  in  the  spring, 
you  see,  ma'am,  and  I  got  work,  and  a  lady  took 
Mary,  the  biggest ;  so  I  had  only  meself  and 
Brian  to  take  care  of,  and  Dennis  would  send 
us  money  every  little  while.  But  when  the  cold 
came,  I  did  not  hear  from  Dennis,  and  me 
strength  began  to  fail,  and  thin  when  I  went  for 
the  city  money,  they  told  me  the  'propration 
have  all  gone,  and  there  was  no  more.  And  thin 
you  see,  lady,  I  was  took  sick,  and  Tim — him  in 
me  arms — was  born.  We  would  all  have  died  of 
the  cold  and  hunger,  if  it  had  not  been  for  the 
kind  people  Mary  lived  with.  But  what  does 
the  child  do,  ma'am,  but  write  to  the  father,  as 
how  we  was  all  starvin' ;  and  thin  Dennis  wrote 
me  a  letter  saying  as  how  he  could  not  stand  it, 


dknnis  ryan's  story.  41 

but  meant  to  desert  and  take  us  all  to  Canada. 
His  money  had  been  stole  from  the  office  that 
he  sent  us,  and  get  away  he  would.  Oh,  ma'am, 
before  I  could  get  the  letter  answered,  begging 
him  not  to  try  it,  the  news  came  that  he  had 
deserted,  been  caught,  and  put  in  prison.  And 
now  I'm  trying  to  see  him.  Some  people  gave 
me  money  to  come  on,  and  I'm  come,  you  see, 
ma'am,  and  brought  Tim — who  has  never  seen 
his  father — in  case,  ma'am,  you  know — " 

That  was  her  story.  Poor  thing  !  I  afterwards 
learned  that  Dennis  Ryan  met  the  deserter's  fate ! 

All  this  depressed  me  so  much,  that  I  de- 
termined to  leave  the  building,  and  walk  around 
until  the  Judge  Advocate  arrived,  knowing  I 
would  be  attended  to  last,  being  the  latest 
comer.  As  I  was  passing  out,  the  man  with 
the  familiar  face  came  forward,  and  said, 

"  Do  not  leave,  ma'am ;  the  Judge  Advocate' 
told  me  to  tell  you  he  would  soon  be  back." 

"  I  am  only  going  to  walk  until  he  does  come, 
and  can  attend  to  my  business." 


42  THE    OLD   CAPITOL    AND    ITS    INMATES. 

It  was  half-past  one  before  I  saw  the  carriage 
drive  up,  and  then  I  stood  near  the  door  and 
watched  the  departure  of  the  applicants.  When 
Miss  A.  came  down,  I  went  to  her  and  said  : 

"  I  hope  you  have  been  successful  in  your 
brother's  case." 

"  Dead !  dead  and  buried !  and  I  now  go  to 
tell  his  heart-broken  wife,"  she  said,  bursting 
into  tears.  Yes,  he  had  died  in  prison,  passed 
from  life's  conflict  to  eternal  rest,  with  none  but 
strangers  near. 

Last  of  all  came  the  old  man,  who  seeing  me 
said :  "  I  hope  you'll  be  more  successful  than 
the  rest  of  us." 

"  How  is  that  ?  "  I  answered. 

"  Not  a  pass  allowed — not  one." 

Hearing  this,  I  hesitated  on  going  in,  when 
the  same  man  who  had  spoken  to  me  before 
said : 

"  The  Judge  Advocate  says  he  is  waiting  foi 

you." 


CHAPTER   III. 

Second  interview  with  the  Judge  Advocate — The  letter — 
Supposed  pass  proves  an  order  to  the  Provost  Marshal's — 
Scene  while  waiting  in  the  street — Threatened  mob — 
Appearance  of  the  wounded  prisoner. 

That  decided  me,  and  I  followed  the  mes- 
senger. 

"  "Well,"  said  the  Judge  Advocate  on  seeing 
me,  "  I  was  afraid  you  thought  I  had  forgotten 
you,  and  that  you  had  gone  away." 

"  Oh,  no,"  I  replied ;  "  but  knowing  how 
many  others  were  before  me,  I  was  taking  a 
little  walk  while  I  awaited  your  leisure." 

He  opened  a  drawer  and  took  out  a  bundle  of 
papers,  and  looking  carefully  over  them,  drew 
out  what  appeared  to  be  a  letter. 

"  Sit  down,  will  you."  I  did  so,  he  wheeling 
his  arm-chair  around,  so  as  to  be  facing  me. 

"  I  have  inquired  concerning  your  relations 


44  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS    INMATES. 

at  the  Old  Capitol,  and  find  that  they  are  charged 

with  grave  offences — very  grave  offences" — said 

he,  trying  to  look  severe. 

"Indeed,"  said  I;  "you  astonish  me." 

"  Yes.     Is  this  your  handwriting  ?"  showing 

me  the  outside  of  a  letter  directed  to  "  Miles  E.. 

Windsor,"  and  watching  me  the  while. 

I  took  it  in  my  hand,  and  replied, 

"  No,  sir,  it  is  not." 

"  It  is  post-marked  Baltimore,  you  see." 

"  So  I  see,  sir  ;  but  that  is  no  sign  I  wrote  it." 

"  I  think  you  said  your  name  was  Anne,  did 
you  not  ?  " 

"  No,  sir,  I  never  told  you  what  it  was,  as  you 
did  not  ask  me  ;  but  I  tell  you  now — -it  is  Maria 
—Maria  Miller."  ■ 

"  You  live  at  No.  40, Street,  Baltimore, 

I  think  you  said  ?  " 

"No,  sir,  I  did  not  .say  it;  for  I  do  not  live 
there." 

"  Did  you  ever  live  in  that  street?" 

"  Two  years  ago  I  did." 


THE   LETTER.  45 

"And  at  No.  40?" 

"  No,  sir  ;  never." 

"  Are  you  loyal  ?  "  looking  at  me  closely. 

"  My  loyalty  is  above  suspicion." 

"  What  have  }^ou  been  in  the  habit  of  writing 
to  Mr.  Windsor  about  ?  " 

"  I  have  never  written  to  him  on  any  sub- 
ject." 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  Is  not  this 
your  signature  ?"  opening  the  letter,  and  pointing 
to  the  bottom  of  the  page,  where  I  saw  Anne 
Clarice." 

"  No,  sir,  it  is  not," 

"  Do  you  recognize  the  handwriting?" 

"  No,  sir." 

"  Do  }-ou  know  a  person  of  that  name?" 

"  No,  sir." 

"  Are  you  sure  you  did  not  write  it?" 

"  Perfectly." 

"  Have  you  any  of  your  writing  with  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  saying  which  I  opened  my  pocket- 
•  book  and  took  out  a  pencilled  note  and  handed 


46  THE    OLD   CAPITOL    AND   ITS    INMATES. 

it  to  him.  "  If  you  compare  the  two,  you  will 
see  there  is  no  resemblance ;  or,  if  you  will 
dictate  any  portion  of  that  letter,  I  will  write  it 
here,  at  your  desk."  He  did  neither.  "  Will  you 
let  me  read  that  letter  ?  "  said  I. 

"  No ;  I  will  read  it  to  you."  Then  he  be- 
gan : 

"  Oh,  my  dear  friend,  what  words  can  express 
my  grief  and  dismay.  To  think  that  after  all  we 
should  have  failed,  and  now  there  is  no  hope. 
After  all  the  blood  shed,  and  Southern  soil 
steeped  in  tears,  and  the  god-like  Lee  humiliated 
and  forced  to  surrender  in  spite  of  his  many 
victories.  How  can  we  ever  bear  up?  All  is 
lost.  What  is  left  to  us  but  submission  and 
slavery?  I  am  beside  myself  with  grief,  and 
hardly  know  what  I  write.  When  I  remember 
how  hopeful  I  was  but  a  short  time  since,  and 
now — but  I  can  say  no  more,  my  heart  is  too  full. 
Let  me  hear  from  you  soon.  Your  sincere  but 
heart-broken  friend,  Anne  Clahke." 

Between  every  sentence  he  would  pause  a 


THE   LETTEK.  47 

moment  and  look  fixedly  at  me.  On  finishing, 
lie  said : 

"What  do  you  think  of  that?  " 

I  smiled  as  I  answered,  "  A  very  foolish  and 
high-flown  letter." 

"And  do  you  mean  to  say,  madam,  that  those 
are  not  your  sentiments  ?  " 

"I  do." 

"How  did  you  feel,  madam,  at  Lee's  surren- 
der?" 

"Very  glad  that  the  fighting  was  ended, 
sir." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  you  were  not  sorry  ?  " 

"  I  was  sorry  for  the  suffering  I  knew  would 
ensue." 

"  And  now  you  have  the  assurance  to  sit  there 
looking  me  in  the  face,  and  saying,  not  only  that 
you  did  not  write  this  letter,  but  also  that  you 
do  not  know  who  did." 

"Sir,  I  am  ready  to  take  an  oath  to  that 
effect." 

"  And  do  you  suppose  I  do  not  see  through 


48  THE    OLD    CAPITOL    AND    ITS    INMATES. 

tli at  letter  ?  Do  you  think  that  I  believe  for  one 
moment  that  this" — holding  out  the  letter  — 
"  refers  to  the  defeat  of  Lee  ?  No,  that  is  used 
only  as  a  blind,  and  you  know  what  this  letter 
means  as  well  as  I  do." 

I  remained  silent  for  a  moment,  and  then 
said,  "  I  see  that  you  do  not  believe  my  protesta- 
tions, but  you  have  it  in  your  power  to  prove 
whether  my  words  are  true  or  false,  your  de- 
tective force,  if  it  be  as  effective  as  represented, 
can  ascertain  my  place  of  abode,  and  also  that 
of  the  author  of  this  letter." 

He  said  nothing  for  a  short  time,  and  then 
turning  to  rue  with  a  satanic  leer — for  I  can  call 
it  nothing  else — he  asked, 

"  Are  you  very  anxious  to  see  your  friends  at 
the  Carrol?" 

"  Certainly  I  am  ;  did  I  not  come  here  for  that 
purpose ?  " 

He  wheeled  his  chair  around  to  his  desk  and 
wrote  something  on  a  slip  of  paper.  I  held  out 
my  hand  for  it,  but  he  motioned  me  back,  and 


SUPPOSED   PASS.  49 

beckoning  to  the  man  I  had  so  often  seen,  gave 
it  to  him,  and  said  to  me  impatiently,  "  Now  go, 
go,"  which  I  was  only  too  glad  to  do. 

I  left  the  building,  with  the  man  at  my  side. 
We  had  walked  several  squares  without  a  word, 
when  I  asked,  "  Where  are  you  going  to  take 
me  ?" 

"To  14th  Street,  the  Provost  Marshal's." 

"  Does  he  give  the  papers?" 

"No." 

"  Does  he  have  to  sign  them?" 

"No." 

"  Is  that  a  pass  the  Judge  Advocate  gave 
you?" 

"  No." 

Then  it  flashed  across  me  ! 

"Am  I  arrested?" 

"  So  they  say." 

And  that  was  the  paper  he  wrote,  consigning 
me  to  prison  !  I  looked  up  at  the  man,  and  sud- 
denly it  occurred  to  me  where  I  had  seen  him. 
He  was  the  detective  who  stood  opposite  on  my 


50  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

visit  to  the  Carrol,  the  first  time  ;  he  it  was  who 
followed  me  down  to  the  cars,  over  to  Balti- 
more, and  when  I  went  out  there  ;  and  in  short, 
dogged  my  steps  everywhere,  and  was  now  tak- 
ing me  to  prison ! 

On  realizing  my  position,  my  first  impulse 
was  a  mad  desire  to  run  for  my  life,  but  second 
thoughts  prevailed,  and  convinced  me  of  the 
utter  folly  of  any  such  act. 

It  was  a  long  walk  to  the  Provost  Marshal's, 
but  we  reached  it  at  last,  though  we  could  not 
get  near  the  building,  on  account  of  the  crowd. 
The  detective  on  asking  "  What's  the  matter  ?  " 
was  answered  by  some  one — 

"  That  d — d  assassin  has  been  captured,  and 
is  now  in  the  office." 

"  Do  you  mean  Booth?" 

"  Yes,  who  else  ?  I  tell  you  what,  sir,"  the 
man  went  on  to  say,  "  we  liked  to  have  made  an 
end  of  him,  what  with  stones  and  sticks." 

"  It  would  be  a  pity  to  cheat  the  hang- 
man." 


THREATENED    MOB.  51 

"No  fear  of  that;  but  who  have  you  got  there 
■ — a  prisoner  ?  " 

The  man  nodded. 

"  One  of  the  conspirators?"  asked  the  other, 
stepping  back  a  few  paces,  in  order  to  obtain  a 
better  view  of  me. 

"  I  don't  know,"  replied  the  detective. 

By  this  time  the  crowd  had  greatly  in- 
creased, and  instead  of  being  on  the  outside,  as 
at  first,  the  press  had  forced  me  nearly  to  the 
centre.  I  began  to  be  very  much  frightened, 
especially  as  I  could  not  help  hearing  the  re- 
marks of  those  around,  and  seeing  the  looks  of 
hatred  turned  to  the  door,  through  which  they 
expected  the  prisoner  to  be  brought. 

"  I  say,"  said  a  burly  negro,  "  they  keep  us 
waiting  a  long  time,  and  I  must  have  a  lick  at 
him,"  on  which  he  stooped  down  and  picked  up 
a  large  stone  lying  at  his  feet. 

"  Faith,  and  he's  catched  at  last,  the  mur- 
derin'  villian,"  remarked  an  Irish  woman,  with  a 
baby  in  her  arms. 


52  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

"  "What  is  all  this  fuss  about,  Pete  ? ' '  asked  a 
new  addition  to  the  mob. 

"Whar  you  bin  all  de  time,  Milly,  not  to 
know  we's  got  de  man  what  killed  de  President, 
an'  de  Cabinet,  an'  Gen'l  Grant,  an'  de  War 
Department,  an'  all  de  rest  ?" 

At  this  moment  an  officer  stepped  to  the  door 
and  said  :  "  I  request  that  this  assembly  will 
quietly  disperse — the  prisoner  within  is  not 
Booth,  and  as  good  citizens" — at  this  the  negroes 
hurrahed — "  and  as  good  citizens,"  he  repeated, 
"  I  beg  that  no  violence  may  be  attempted.  If 
this  crowd  remains  ten  minutes  longer,  I  shall  be 
obliged  to  call  out  the  guard,  and  maintain  order 
at  the  point  of  the  bayonet."  He  took  out  his 
watch,  and  I  need  hardly  add,  that  at  the  end  of 
five  minutes  the  mob  had  disappeared,  although 
unwillingly,  with  grumblings  and  shaking  of  fists. 
An  ambulance  was  now  brought  up,  and  a  tall 
man  with  head  and  face  swathed  in  bandages 
was  led  out,  supported  by  two  soldiers,  placed 
in  the  ambulance,  and  driven  rapidly  away. 


THREATENED   MOB.  53 

These  scenes,  as  may  be  supposed,  did  not 
tend  to  quiet  my  nerves,  but  I  resolved,  if  pos- 
sible, to  show  no  sign  of  fear,  lest  it  might  be 
mistaken  for  evidence  of  guilt ;  and  as  I  did  not 
know  how  aggravated  an  offence  I  might  be 
charged  with,  it  would  require  all  my  strength  to 
maintain  my  self-possession  and  presence  of  mind 
under  the  trvinc:  circumstances. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

The  Provost  Marshal's  office — "  Compliments  of  the  season" 
to  the  Judge  Advocate — Painful  forebodings  while  waiting — 
Conversation  with  a  suspected  Yankee  Blockade-runner — 
Ordered  to  follow  a  Detective — Interview  with  Nelson  on 
reaching  the  Old  Capitol — Am  made  a  "  note  on" — Put  in 
prison — My  room — Other  occupant. 

The  detective  went  before  and  I  followed. 
The  room  we  entered  was  large,  divided  midway 
by  a  railing,  three  feet  high,  with  a  gate  in  the 
centre.  He  opened  the  gate,  and  pointed  to  a 
dilapidated  sofa,  on  which  I  took  my  seat.  He 
went  to  the  farther  end  of  the  room  and  whis- 
pered something  to  an  officer  who  was  writing. 
The  communication  seemed  to  have  a  marked 
effect,  for  he  immediately  laid  down  his  pen, 
frowned,  leaned  forward  with  elbows  on  his  desk, 
supporting  his  chin,  and  treated  me  to  the  most 
prolonged  stare  it  was  ever  my  fate  to  endure. 
On  finishing  his  scrutiny,  he  motioned  to  a  man 


PK0V0ST   MARSHAL'S    OFFICE.  55 

near  him,  and  opening  a  table-drawer  handed 
him  a  package,  containing,  as  I  afterwards  saw, 
about  one  hundrel  photographs.  This  man  de- 
liberately took  his  seat,  and  proceeded  leisurely 
to  compare  my  physiognomy  with  these  pictures. 
I  felt  no  uneasiness  at  this,  for  never  having  had 
sufficient  moral  courage  to  see  myself  "  as  others 
see  me,"  I  had  hitherto  steadfastly  refused  to 
comply  with  the  wishes  of  partial  friends,  in 
having  my  photograph  taken. 

About  forty  pairs  of  eyes  were  now  fixed  upon 
me,  for  the  room  was  filled  with  men.  I  drew 
my  thick  veil  down,  and  taking  a  paper  from  my 
pocket,  pretended  to  read  until  that  ordeal  was 
over.  (I  discovered  afterwards  that  the  paper  was 
upside  down.) 

At  length  it  was  over,  and  the  man  who 
brought  me  there  was  about  leaving,  when  I 
asked,  "  Are  you  returning  to  the  Judge  Advo- 
cate's office  ?" 

"  Yes,  ma'am." 

"  Will  you  take  him  a  message  for  me  ?  " 


56  THE   OLD   CAPITOL    AND   ITS   INMATES. 

"  Yes,  ma'am." 

"  I  wish  you  to  present  my  compliments,  and 
,  say  I  am  exceedingly  obliged  to  him  for  permis- 
sion to  visit  the  Carrol,  and  I  will  never  forget 
his  kindness." 

The  man  bowed  gravely,  as  became  a  detec- 
tive, while  the  others  who  were  standing  around 
looked  at  each  other  and  laughed. 

It  was  now  after  three,  and  I  was  very  tired 
and  hungry,  for  my  excitement  had  been  so  in- 
tense in  the  morning  that  I  could  eat  no  break- 
fast. Half  an  hour  passed,  and  still  no  notice 
was  taken  of  me.  I  seemed  to  have  been  forgot- 
ten, and  now  my  imagination  began  to  run  riot. 
I  found  myself  painting  my  future  in  the  most 
dismal  colors,  while  before  me  loomed  that  Mas- 
sachusetts Penitentiary,  an  account  of  which, 
with  the  treatment  of  the  inmates,  I  had  read  a 
few  weeks  previous.  I  was  wondering  what  kind 
of  hard  labor  would  be  given  me,  and  how  I 
would  stand  the  shower-bath,  to  which  refractory 
convicts  were  subjected,  for  refractory  I  knew  I 


YANKEE   BLOCKADE    RUNNER.  57 

should  be.     Then,  too,  there  was  the  solitary  con- 
finement in  cells,  cold  and  damp,  the  very  thought 
of  which  made  my  blood  run  cold,  and  set  me 
shivering.     I  began  to  feel  wild,  and  the  silence 
of  the  room  oppressed  me  more  and  more. 

A  slight  noise  at  the  door  aroused  me. 
Another  prisoner — a  tall,  lank  man,  loosely 
jointed,  with  long  thin  hair,  smooth  face,  and 
sallow  complexion.  He  was  dressed  in  a  suit  of 
faded  Confederate  gray,  and  taking  a  seat  on  the 
other  end  of  the  sofa,  he  surveyed  the  room  and 
its  inmates  for  some  moments,  whistling  softly 
to  himself.  Allowing  his  eyes  to  rest  upon  me, 
and  perceiving  that  I  was  regarding  him  also, 
he  drew  near,  and  in  a  low  tone  began  a  conver- 
sation. 

"  Prisoner  ?  "  he  asked  inquiringly. 

"Yes,"  I  responded;  "you  are  too,  I  presume. ' 

"  I  should  rather  think  I  was,"  he  answered. 

"A  Confederate  soldier?"  I  asked. 

"  No,  a  poor  d — 1  of  a  trader.  How  came  you 
here?"  he  asked,  suddenly. 

3* 


58  THE    OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS    INMATES. 

"  I  don't  know."  I  answered. 

"  Well,  that's  queer,"  lie  returned,  musing ; 
v  then  placing  his  hands  upon  his  knees  and  lean- 
ing forward,  he  said,  waxing  confidential,  "  The 
way  of  it  was  this :  I  happened  to  know  one  of 

the  officers  on  General 's  staff,  whom  I  got 

to  introduce  me  to  the  General,  who  furnished 
me  with  a  permit  to  trade  South,  and  a  free  pass 
through  his  lines." 

"  Very  kind  in  him,"  answered  I. 

"Do  you  think  so?"  he  asked,  chuckling;  "do 
you  suppose  he  gave  them  to  me?"  with  a  grin. 

"  Yes,"  I  answered. 

"  Well  he  just  didn't,  then ;  I  paid  fire  hun- 
dred dollars  down,  and  so  much  per  cent,  off 
profits." 

"Did  you  make  much  by  this  employment?" 
I  asked. 

"  Didn't  I !  You  see  I  bought  goods  on  this 
side,  mostly  pins,  needles,  and  such  like,  then 
took  them  South,  and  sold  them  for  treble  what 
I  gave  for  them." 


YANKEE  BLOCKADE   EUNNEE.  59 

"  Were  you  paid  in  Confederate  money  ?  ' 

"Catch  me!  no,  indeed.  Gold,  greenbacks 
mostly,  but  sometimes  I  had  to  take  their  paper ; 
but  I  got  rid  of  it  as  soon  as  I  could." 

"  Were  you  not  suspected  by  both  sides  of 
being  a  spy?  "  I  asked. 

"  No,  both  sides  thought  I  belonged  to  them, 
and  as  I  wanted  to  keep  in  with  both,  I  lied  to 
both ;"  at  which  speech  he  laughed  heartily,  as 
if  he  had  done  a  very  smart  thing. 

I  was  disgusted,  but  he,  not  noticing  it,  went 
on : 

"  General accused    me    of    not   sharing 

profits  fairly,  and  I  know  he  has  had  me  arrested, 
thinking  I  will  pay  heavily  to  be  released ;  but 
he'll  find  himself  mistaken  there,  for  I'll  not  pay 
the  first  red ;  and  more  than  that,  I'll  tell  the 
whole  affair — how  he  bought  the  surgical  instru- 
ments and  medicines  which  I  took  over — see  if  I 
don't ! " 

But  he  had  no  time  to  finish,  for  a  man 
stepped  up,  and  touching  him  on  the  shoulder, 


60  THE    OLD    CAPITOL   AND-  ITS    INMATES. 

said,  "  Come."  He  arose  and  left  me,  to  my 
great  relief,  and  I  could  not  help  wishing,  as  I 
watched  his  retreating  form,  that  he  might  re- 
ceive his  deserts ;  for  what  was  he,  but  a  vam- 
pire fattening  on  the  miseries  of  others !  I  never 
knew  what  became  of  him. 

Again  the  room  relapsed  into  silence,  save 
the  scratch  of  pens  that  were  constantly  in  mo- 
tion. But  the  Yankee  trader  had  effectually 
banished  the  Massachusetts  Penitentiary,  and  I 
was  in  better  spirits.  At  half-past  four,  by  my 
watch,  the  detective  returned,  and  coming  up, 
said, 

"  You  will  go  with  me,  if  you  please." 

I  arose,  only  too  glad  to  get  out  of  that 
place.  The  fresh  air  revived  me,  and  I  felt  more 
courageous.  After  walking  several  squares  I 
asked, 

""Where  are  you  taking  me?" 

"To  prison,"  he  answered. 

"To  the  Old  Capitol?"  I  asked  again. 

"No;  Carrol." 


ON  THE   WAY   TO   PRISON.  61 

""Will  you  let  me  stop  and  send  a  telegram  to 
my  friends  in  Baltimore?"  m 

"No." 

"But  you  can  go  with  me,  and  read  what  I 
send — they  will  be  wretched  about  me  at  home." 

"Can't  do  it." 

I  walked  in  silence  a  short  distance. 

"  Will  you  let  me  stop  at  a  friend's  house,  and 
leave  word  where  I  am  going?" 

"No." 

"Just  three  words?  "  I  pleaded. 

"No." 

Another  silence. 

"May  I  stop  and  buy  a  tooth-brush,  and 
comb,  and  brush?" 

"No." 

"But  I  must  have  them." 

"Can't." 

"I  will,  though."  And  before  the  man  could 
stop  me,  I  walked  into  a  store,  and  bought  the 
articles.  We  had  by  that  time  neared  the  prison 
buildings,  and  I  was  so  wearied  with  my  long 


62  THE    OLD    CAPITOL    AND    ITS   INMATES. 

walk  of  nearly  two  miles,  that  I  could  not  ascend 
the  steep  hill. 

"Indeed,"  said  I,  "I  must  rest" — and  took 
My  seat  on  the  ledge  of  stone  which  supports 
the  iron  railing  surrounding  the  Capitol  grounds. 
The  man  made  no  answer,  but  leaned  against 
a  tree,  gazing  seemingly  at  vacancy,  though  in 
reality  noticing  everything.  And  this,  by  the 
way,  I  have  often  noticed  as  a  peculiarity  of  this 
class  of  persons ;  whether  it  is  done  for  the  pur- 
pose of  throwing  others  off  their  guard  or  not,  I 
cannot  say. 

As  I  sat  there  on  those  stones  I  glanced 
around  me.  It  was  a  lovely  evening,  near  sun- 
set; the  trees  were  just  coming  into  bud,  the 
tips  of  delicate  green  contrasting  beautifully 
with  the  sombre  brown  and  gray  of  the  branch- 
es. Crocuses  of  all  colors  decked  the  Capitol 
grounds,  while  on  a  bush  near  a  solitary  bird 
warbled  its  vesper  hymn.  It  seemed  to  me  I 
took  in  the  whole  aspect  of  nature  at  once;  and 
then  arose  within  a  longing,  no  words  can  ex- 


INTERVIEW   WITH   NELSON.  63 

press,  for  home  and  friends.  "Perhaps,  after 
all,"  thought  I,  "this  man  may  have  no  right  to 
convey  me  to  prison."     So  I  said, 

"  You  tell  me  you  are  taking  me  to  the  Carrol. 
By  what  authority  do  you  act  ?" 

He  opened  his  coat,  and  on  the  inside  I  saw  a 
metallic  ring,  and  on  it,  engraved  in  large  letters, 
"  U.  S.  Detective."  There  was  no  disputing 
that.  If  I  sat  there  much  longer,  I  was  sure  I 
should  burst  into  tears,  and  that  I  resolved  not  to 
do,  if  possible ;  so  I  arose  and  said,  "  I  am  ready 
to  proceed ;"  and  in  a  short  time  the  prison  was 
reached. 

The  man  entered  the  room  where  I  had  seen 
my  friend  on  my  first  visit,  and  there  we  found 
Nelson. 

"  Here,"  said  my  conductor,  pointing  to  me, 
and  handing  Nelson  a  slip  of  paper. 

"What,  you  here!"  said  Nelson;  "didn't 
expect  that.  Come  with  me."  Saying  which  he 
went  before  me  into  another  room,  in  which  a 
little  dapper  man  sat  at  a  desk  writing,  while  a 


64  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS    INMATES. 

chap  in  lieutenant's  uniform  was  lolling  on  a 
sofa,  his  legs  swinging  over  one  of  the  arms. 

"  Mr.  C,  another  of  Uncle  Sam's  boarders," 
said  Nelson,  with  a  grin. 

The  meek  little  man  looked  up  and  said, 
"  Take  a  seat,  please ;  I  will  attend  to  you 
directly,"  putting  the  slip  of  paper  which  Nelson 
handed  him  to  one  side. 

I  sat  down  and  waited.  On  finishing  his 
writing,  Mr.  C.  turned  to  me  and  said,  "  You  will 
please  answer  the  following  questions,"  taking 
down  a  large  book  resembling  a  ledger,  and 
opening  it  about  mid-way. 

"Your  name?" 

"  Maria  Miller." 

"  Of  what  State  are  you  a  native  ?  " 

"Virginia." 

"  Your  age  ?  " 

"  Twenty-four  years." 

"  Where  from  now?" 

"  Baltimore." 

"What  is  your  profession?" 


AM  "made  a  note  on."  65 

"  Have  none." 

"  Engaged  in  any  business  ?  " 

"No." 

"Where  were  you  arrested?" 

"  In  Washington." 

"  Any  relation  to  General  ,  of  the  rebel 

army  ?  " 

"First  cousin." 

"  That  will  do,  madam." 

All  of  these  answers  were  duly  recorded  in  the 
huge  book ;  but  as  he  continued  writing,  I  looked 
over  and  saw,  "Height,  five  feet,"  "rather  slen- 
der," "pale complexion,"  "gray eyes, large,"  "also 
large  nose,"  "small  mouth  and  white  teeth," 
"hair  light  and  curly." 

"You  can  sit  down,  madam,"  said  he,  hand- 
ing me  a  chair,  on  which  I  took  my  seat,  while 
the  lieutenant  surveyed  me  with  a  lazy,  sleepy 
look,  out  of  his  half-open  eyes. 

After  the  lapse  of  about  twenty  minutes, 
Nelson  returned,  saying, 

"Now,  madam,  follow  me." 


66  THE   OLD    CAPITOL   AND    ITS    INMATES. 

He  led  me  through  an  empty  room  and  a 
dark  passage,  into  a  large  yard,  down  one  side 
of  which  he  passed,  then  into  another  passage- 
way, with  a  staircase,  at  the  top  of  which  some 
women  were  standing.  Midway  the  passage  wras 
a  door,  before  which  stood  a  soldier  on  guard. 
Nelson  motioned  him  aside,  threw  the  door  wide 
open,  and  said,  "Walk  in."  I  entered,  and  such 
a  room !  The  apartment  was  large,  and  divided 
from  the  room  in  front  by  folding-doors,  which 
were  locked,  and  barred  on  the  other  side.  Two 
windows  without  blinds  opened  on  a  large  yard, 
in  which  a  number  of  men  were  walking  for  ex- 
ercise, while  others  were  cutting  wood.  Beneath 
the  windows  wTas  an  area,  in  which  stood  four 
barrels,  containing  kitchen  and  other  refuse 
matter.  The  room  was  one  mass  of  dirt ;  spider- 
webs  hung  in  festoons  from  the  ceiling,  and  ver- 
min of  all  kinds  ran  over  the  floor.  The  walls 
had  been  papered,  but  dampness  had  caused 
most  of  it  to  fall  off,  while  ail  over  that  which 
was  left  were  great  spots  of  grease.     The  tire- 


MY   BOOM.  67 

place  had  in  it  a  half-burned  log,  resting  on  a 
pile  of  ashes,  and  surmounting  all  was  a  filthy 
wooden  bucket.  The  furniture  consisted  of  an 
iron  bedstead,  pillows,  and  mattress  of  straw,  a 
pair  of  sheets,  and  a  brown  blanket.  Between 
the  windows  stood  a  small  table,  on  which  was  a 
stone  jug  containing  water,  and  a  tin  cup.  A  tin 
basin  was  on  the  floor.  One  wooden  chair  com- 
pleted the  inventory. 

The  last-named  article  was  placed  near  the 
open  window,  and  on  it  was  seated  a  young  girl, 
of  about  sixteen  years  of  age.  She  had  a  startled 
look,  and  I  saw  was  afraid  of  me,  for  in  those 
prisons  so  many  are  spies  that  one  never  feels 
safe.  I  also  mistrusted  her,  and  there  we  sat 
for  some  twenty  minutes,  without  a  word.  At 
length  I  asked, 

"How  long  have  you  been  here  ?  " 

"Since  Monday,"  she  answered.  It  was  now 
Friday. 

"  Have  you  been  alone  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Yes,"  she  replied. 


68  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

"  I  suspect  I  saw  your  father  to-day.  Is  he 
an  old  gentleman  with  long  white  hair  ?" 

"  Oh  yes,"  she  answered,  clasping  her  hands  ; 
"  that's  father,"  and  began  to  cry.  "  Please  tell 
me  where  you  saw  him." 

"  At  the  Judge  Advocate's  office,"  I  replied  ; 
"  he  was  trying  to  get  a  pass  to  see  you,  but  was 
refused.  I  heard  him  tell  a  lady  he  had  been 
there  every  day,  but  without  success.  He  also 
said  he  had  written  to  you." 

"  I  never  received  a  single  letter,"  she  in- 
terrupted. 

"  He  said,  too,"  I  added,  "  that  he  had  sent 
you  in  a  basket  daily,  containing  food." 

"I  had  some  cake  brought  me  once  by  Mr. 
Nelson,  but  when  I  asked  him  who  sent  it,  he 
gave  me  no  answer." 

Seeing  that  I  still  had  my  bonnet  and  my  winter 
cloak  on,  she  said,  "You  had  better  take  your 
things  off,  for  they  will  not  let  you  go." 

"  That  is  true  ;  but  where  shall  I  put  them  ?" 
I  asked,  looking  around  inquiringly. 


MY   KOOM   MATE.  69 

"Do  you  see  that  big  nail  above  where  my 
bonnet  hangs  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  I  answered,  "  but  I  cannot  reach  it." 

"Move  the  table  and  stand  on  it,"  she  said. 

I  did  so,  and  brushing  away  the  spiders 
with  the  end  of  my  parasol,  hung  my  cloak  and 
bonnet. 

"  What  is  your  name  ?  "  I  asked,  presently. 

"Mary ." 

"  Mine  is  Maria  Miller." 

"  Did  my  father  look  well?"  she  inquired. 

"Yes;  only  anxious  and  worried." 

"  It  is  so  hard!"  she  exclaimed,  bursting  into 
tears. 

"  Here  is  to-day's  paper.  Would  you  like  to 
read  it  ?  " 

She  took  it  eagerly,  and  was  soon  absorbed 
in  its  contents. 


CHAPTER   V. 

Arrangements    for    sleeping  —  Refreshments  —  Nine    o'clock 
Inspection — Horrors  of  the  first  night — Morning  reflections. 

In  a  short  time  tlie  door  Y/as  opened,  and 
Nelson  appeared,  with  two  men  carrying  an  iron 
bedstead  similar  to  the  one  already  in  the  room, 
which  they  placed  opposite.  After  a  while,  the 
straw  bed  and  pillow  were  brought  in ;  but 
imagine  my  feelings  when  I  saw  great  splotches 
of  blood  on  the  mattress,  and  also  on  one  end  of 
the  pillow ! 

"  I  can  never  sleep  on  that,"  I  mentally 
ejaculated,  and  turning  my  head  toward  the  yard, 
I  saw  two  men  beating  and  shaking  a  faded 
brown  blanket,  from  which  arose  clouds  of  dust. 
In  a  short  time  Nelson  appeared  again,  with  a 
pair  of  coarse  unbleached  cotton  sheets,  and  the 
identical  blanket  I  had  seen  shaken.  The  sheets 
were  new,  that  was  a  comfort. 


ARRANGEMENTS    FOR    SLEEPTNG.  11 

"Mr.  Nelson,"  I  asked,  "may  I  see  my 
cousin,  Mrs.  Windsor?" 

"  Oh  no,  none  of  that  now.  You'll  not  see 
her  any  more." 

" May  I  send  and  ask  her  for  a  towel? " 

"  Yes,"  he  answered. 

"Whom  shall  I  send?" 

"  That's  more  than  I  know,"  he  replied,  and 
going  out,  shut  the  door  and  locked  it. 

"Is  not  this  outrageous?"  exclaimed  Mary, 
handing  me  the  paper.  I  took  it,  and  read 
the  paragraph  to  which  she  pointed.  It  was 
an  insulting  notice  of  Mrs.  Surratt  and  her 
family. 

"Do  you  know  Mrs.  Surratt?"  asked  I. 

"  Yes ;  and  she  is  as  kind  and  good  a  woman 
as  ever  lived." 

At  this  moment  a  negro  woman  entered,  with 
a  brass  candlestick,  three  matches,  and  a  piece 
of  candle,  which  she  put  on  the  table,  and  taking 
the  bedding  from  the  floor,  proceeded  to 
spread  it. 


72  THE   OLD    CAPITOL    AND    ITS    INMATES. 

"Do  you  know  which  is  Mrs.  Windsor's 
room  ?  "  I  askecl. 

"  Yes  ;  No.  10,"  she  replied. 

"  Mr.  Nelson  says  I  can  get  a  towel  from  her. 
Will  you  ask  her,  if  you  please  ?  Tell  her  it  is 
for  her  cousin."  The  woman  made  no  answer, 
but  went  on  with  her  work  as  if  she  had  not 
heard  me. 

My  stand  at  the  window  had  become  disa- 
greeable, for  the  room  being  on  the  first  floor, 
those  walking  in  the  yard  could  look  directly  in, 
and  the  consciousness  of  being  stared  at  was 
anything  but  pleasant.  I  withdrew,  thinking  to 
seat  myself  on  the  bed  which  was  placed  oppo- 
site,  and  in  a  less  conspicuous  position  than  the 
one  I  occupied.  I  drew  near,  and  happening 
to  cast  my  eyes  towards  it,  I  thought  I  saw 
something  moving.  I  went  quite  close,  and 
scanning  the  blanket,  saw — not  one  alone,  but 
hundreds  of  creeping  things  innumerable ! — 
Seizing  one  corner  with  the  tips  of  my  fingers, 
I  drew  it  off  and  threw  it  as  far  as  I  could : 


BEFKESHMENTS. 


73 


and  there  it  lay  while  I  was  in  prison,  and  there 
I  left  it. 

It  was  now  dark,  and  the  gas  was  lighted  in 
the  yard.  The  men,  on  a  call  from  the  guard, 
returned  to  their  rooms.  The  lights  were  so  ar- 
ranged as  to  show  the  interior  of  the  first  floor 
rooms,  with  just  enough  of  shadow  to  suggest 
all  sorts  of  phantoms  to  the  nervous  or  timid. 
At  eight,  the  door  was  again  unlocked,  and  two 
negro  women  entered,  with  waiters  containing 
our  supper.  It  consisted  of  two  small  coffee-pots, 
holding  about  two  cups  of  liquid,  a  yellow  delf 
bowl  with  about  one  table-spoonful  of  brown 
sugar  resembling  molasses,  half  a  cup  of  milk, 
two  slices  of  wheat  bread,  made  out  of  black- 
looking  flour,  a  little  pat  of  butter.  We  had  each 
a  yellow  delf  mug,  with  blue  rings,  a  pewter 
spoon  (mine  had  only  a  small  piece  of  handle,) 
an  iron  knife  and  fork ;  Mary's  knife  was  with- 
out a  handle,  and  my  three-pronged  fork  was 
reduced  to  one,  the  others  being  broken,  one 
short  off  and  the  other   half  way.     The   plates 


74  THE    OLD    CAPITOL    AND    ITS    INMATES. 

were  delf-ware  also.  Had  anything  been  clean, 
I  could  have  eaten  ;  but  the  plates  were  stream- 
ing with  dirty  dish-water ;  mugs  ditto  ;  knives, 
forks,  and  spoons  sticky  and  black  to  the  last 
degree  ;  sugar  full  of  ants,  with  a  slight  sprinkling 
of  flies.  The  coffee  was  a  decoction  of  tobacco 
and  rhubarb,  I  think. 

The  women  set  the  waiters  down,  and  one  of 
them  handing  me  the  towel,  for  which  I  had 
asked,  both  left  the  room  without  a  word.  We 
lighted  our  bit  of  candle,  and  looked  at  the  viands 
lying  before  us. 

"  It  is  useless,"  said  I,  turning  away ;  "  I  can- 
not eat." 

"Neither  can  I,"  said  Mary;  "but  I  have 
some  of  the  cakes  father  sent,  and  we  will  eat 
those."  She  went  to  the  nail  on  which  her  shawl 
hung,  and  untying  the  corner,  took  out  about 
three  dozen  little  sugar-cakes.  Although  stale, 
they  were  very  accerjtable,  at  least  to  me.  After 
satisfying  our  appetites,  we  tied  up  again  in  the 
shawl  what  was  left. 


NINE   O'CLOCK    INSPECTION.  70 

"Had  we  not  better  put  our  light  out?" 
asked  Mary. 

"Why?"  saidl. 

"  Because  it  saves  the  caudle,  and  should  we 
get  frightened  in  the  night,  we  will  have  a  light. 
For  the  past  three  nights  I  have  done  so,  and  in 
the  morning  I  hide  the  matches  and  candle,  in 
case  I  should  like  to  have  a  light  to  burn  all 
night." 

We  put  out  our  candle,  and  I  sat  by  the  win- 
dow, while  Mary  walked  up  and  down  the  room. 
As  we  had  but  one  chair,  we  took  it  by  turns,  for 
I  could  not  make  up  my  mind  to  approach  either 
bed  again.  It  became  very  oppressive  as  the 
darkness  deepened ;  and  the  tread  of  the  sentry, 
as  he  passed  and  repassed  every  moment  be- 
tween the  windows,  had  in  it  something  so  weird, 
that  I  almost  shuddered.  At  nine,  Nelson  un- 
locked the  door  and  threw  it  open.  Beside  him 
stood  two  men,  one  in  officer's  uniform,  the 
other  a  private ;  the  latter  held  in  his  hands  pen 
and  ink  and  a  large  book,  such  as  accounts  are 


76  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

kept  in.  Nelson  advanced  a  few  steps  into  the 
room,  held  his  candle  above  his  head  and  looked 
all  around;  then  turning  to  the  officer,  said,  "All 
right,  two  in  here."  The  man  who  held  the 
book  then  wrote  something,  after  which  the 
door  was  shut  again,  locked,  and  the  men  passed 
on.  This  performance  was  repeated  each  day, 
at  nine  in  the  morning,  and  the  same  hour  in 
the  eveDing.  After  nine  in  the  evening,  the 
prisoners  were  supposed  to  be  in  their  rooms 
until  the  same  hour  the  next  morning.  After 
evening  inspection,  the  prison  was  left  in  charge 
of  a  lieutenant — a  mere  boy — and  the  guard. 
Some  nights,  however,  the  Board  of  Inquiry 
would  sit  until  daylight ;  in  such  case,  a  prisoner 
was  liable  to  be  summoned  any  hour. 

I  was  now  excessively  wearied,  both  mentally 
and  bodily ;  the  air  of  the  room  had  become 
still  more  offensive  as  night  advanced.  A  warm 
still  rain  was  falling,  but  did  not  seem  to  purify 
the  atmosphere.  I  leaned  my  head  first  on  my 
hands,  and  then  on  the  ledge  of  the  window-sill, 


HORRORS    OF   THE   FIRST    NIGHT.  77 

trying  in  vain  to  rest.  I  was  too  exhausted 
eitlier  to  speak  or  think.  At  length  I  fell  into  a 
troubled  sleep,  and  was  awakened  by  the  morn- 
ing's sun  shining  on  my  head.  Mary,  whom  I 
left  walking  the  floor,  was  asleep  on  the  foot  of 
her  bed.  I  could  not  realize  at  first  where  I 
was;  but  one  glance  at  the  surroundings  re- 
called all  that  had  occurred.  It  was  too  soon 
for  the  prisoners  to  assemble  in  the  yard,  and 
as  I  did  not  wish  to  disturb"  poor  Mary,  I  kept 
my  seat  at  the  window  in  order  to  dry  my 
hair,  which  was  wet  with  the  night's  rain; 
and  that  I  might  examine  more  closely  the 
yard. 

I  saw  that  we  were  inclosed  on  three  sides 
by  a  strong  board  fence,  some  twelve  feet  in 
height,  on  the  top  of  which  was  a  platform  suf- 
ficiently wide  for  two  men  to  pass,  and  which 
overlooked  the  yard.  On  this  paced  the  senti- 
nel day  and  night.  The  fourth  side  of  the  yard 
was  occupied  by  one  wing  of  the  building,  the 
upper   stories   of  which  were    appropriated   to 


7S  THE    OLD    CAPITOL    AND   ITS    INMATES. 

prisoners,  whom  I  could  see  moving  about  be- 
hind the  iron  bars.  The  lower  or  ground  floor 
seemed  to  contain  coal  or  lumber,  as  far  as  my 
view  extended.  I  was  told  afterwards  that  the 
rear  end  was  a  sutler's  store,  where  the  daily 
papers  were  to  be  had  for  twenty-five  cents,  and 
other  such  luxuries  in  like  proportion.  The  fence 
was  whitewashed,  as  was  the  building  also.  The 
yard  was  entirely  destitute  of  grass,  shrub,  tree, 
or  any  green  thing  whatever,  and  the  wind, 
which  had  risen  with  the  sun,  drove  clouds  of 
dust  into  the  room  I  occupied,  and  which  was 
greatly  increased  when  the  men  began  their 
monotonous  walk.  In  fact,  I  never  saw  the  day 
when  the  dust  was  not  flying,  except  during  a 
hard  rain  and  just  after  one.  There  was  no 
relief  from  the  dead  white  of  the  walls — not  a 
tree  was  in  sight,  although  I  afterwards  stood  on 
a  chair  at  the  window  and  foolishly  tried  to  see 
over  and  beyond  the  inclosure'.  My  eyes  began 
to  ache — there  was  no  shutting  out  the  glare, 
day  or  night. 


MORNING   REFLECTIONS.  79 

'Seeing  that  my  companion  was  now  awake, 
I  asked, 

"  How  do  we  get  water?" 

"  Call  to  tlie  guard  standing  at  the  door,  and 
hand  him  the  jug." 

I  did  so,  and  he  took  it,  and  calling  another 
man  told  him  to  bring  the  water,  which  he  did. 
Fortunately  the  lower  part  of  one  window  was 
boarded,  and  the  window-sill  sufficiently  deep  to 
hold  the  tin  basin;  that  was  the  only  place  in 
the  room  which  could  not  be  seen  from  the  yard ; 
there  we  made  our  toilet  and  said  our  prayers. 

"Where  is  your  towel,  Mary  ?"  I  asked. 

"I  haven't  any." 

"  Why,  how  do  you  manage,,  then  ?  " 

"I  dry  my  face  with  my  hands  as  well  as  I 
can,  then  sit  in  the  sun  and  comb  my  hair  with 
my  fingers." 

I  need  hardly  add,  that  after  that  I  shared 
with  her  comb,  and  brush,  and  towel. 

Between  eight  and  nine,  breakfast  was  brought 
in,  being  a  repetition  of  the  last  evening's  sup- 


SO  THE   OLD   CAPITOL    AND    ITS    INMATES. 

per.  It  was  placed  on  the  table  in  silence.  I  do 
not  know  whether  the  servants  were  forbidden  to 
hold  communication  with  us  or  not.  We  certainly 
were  afraid  to  speak  to  them,  if  they  were  not 
to  us.  Being  in  the  pay  of  government,  we  sup- 
posed they  were  spies,  and  would  repeat  every- 
thing they  heard,  good,  bad,  or  indifferent.  The 
breakfast  was  removed  in  half  an  hour,  untasted, 
as  had  been  the  previous  evening's  meal.  Our 
cakes  still  held  out,  we  eating  as  few  as  possible, 
hoping  to  make  them  last  until  we  should  receive 
another  supply.  They  were  not  a  very  sub- 
stantial breakfast,  but  were  decidedly  better  than 
nothing. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

Mary's  account  of  Mrs.  Surratt's  arrest— Mary's  release  and 
second  arrest — That  keyhole — Recognize  an  acquaintance 
— Prison  rules. 

"Maey,"  said  I,  "this  is  a  horrid  room,  and 
how  we  are  to  live  in  it,  I  cannot  tell." 

"  The  other  rooms  are  much  nicer  than  this, 
but  ice  are  in  close  confinement." 

"Why?"  lashed. 

"  I  don't  know,"  she  replied ;  "  but  you  see 
how  we  are  guarded,  a  soldier  before  our  door, 
and  one  walking  in  front  of  our  window." 

"Is  it  not  so  up-stairs?"  I  asked. 

"No,  the  prisoners  are  allowed  to  walk  all 
about,  and  even  to  exercise  in  the  yard," 

"  How  do  you  know  so  much  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Why,  I've  been  here  before." 

"Indeed!"  I  said,  but  asked  no  more  ques- 

4* 


82  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

tions,  thinking  she  might  not  like  to  answer.  In 
the  course  of  the  morning  Nelson  came  in,  and  I 
mustered  courage  to  ask, 

"  Why  am  I  kept  in  close  confinement  ?  " 
"  "Who,  you  ?     Why,  you  are  to  be  hung." 
"Ah,  indeed!     Well,  I   should  not  be  sur- 
prised, for  they  have  as  much  right  to  hang  me 
as  to  place  me  here." 

He  made  no  answer,  but,  going  out,  slammed 
the  door  and  locked  it,  of  course. 

I  began  to  feel  the  effects  of  my  sitting  up  all 
night,  and  found  I  would  be  obliged  to  lie  down, 
notwithstanding  what  I  had  seen.  With  Mary's 
assistance  I  turned  the  bedding  over,  and  after  a 
careful  search,  lay  down.  I  soon  went  to  sleep, 
and  did  not  awaken  until  nearly  three,  when  the 
servants  were  bringing  in  dinner.  This  was  soup 
day,  and  that  article  of  diet  was  served  in  the 
same  mugs  I  had  seen  before,  they  doing  double 
duty.  We  had  some  kind  of  meat — I  could  not 
tell  what — and  four  parboiled  potatoes,  two  for 
each  of  us.     We  declined  the  dinner,  as  we  had 


account  of  mjbs:  sueeatt's  aeeest.         83 

the  other  meals,  falling  back  on  our  supply  of 
cakes. 

"Mary,"  said  I,  "let  us  see  if  we  cannot 
fasten  our  door  on  the  inside  ;  then  we  will  not  be 
afraid  to  sleep  at  night." 

We  both  went  to  it,  but  were  disappointed  in 
finding  every  fastening  gone  ;  even  the  knob  had 
been  taken  off,  leaving  a  hole  the  size  of  a  silver 
dollar  (if  any  recollect  that  coin).  "We  could  see 
how  strong  the  lock  on  the  other  side  was,  by  the 
width  of  the  bolts.  We  had  to  content  ourselves 
as  we  were,  at  the  mercy  of  any  who  chose  to 
enter.  Mary's  fear  of  me  had  by  this  time 
worn  off;  and  seeing  that,  I  asked  about  her 
arrest,  of  which  she  gave  me  the  following 
account : 

"  I  had  just  come  from  school,  and  father,  not 
keeping  house  himself,  wished  to  place  me  in 
some  nice  quiet  family.  A  friend  recommended 
Mrs.  Surratt ;  he  accordingly  sent  me  there.  It 
was  at  night  that  we  were  all  arrested,  taken  to 
the  Provost  Marshal's  office,  and  kept  there  until 


84  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

nearly  morning.  But  I  suppose  you  saw  all 
about  that  part  in  the  papers." 

"Yes,"  I  answered;  "but  were  you  not  ter- 
ribly frightened  ?  " 

"Yes,  indeed  we  were.  Anna  Surratt  was 
going  to  a  little  party,  and  had  just  begun  to 
dress,  and  I  was  helping  her,  when  we  were  sent 
for  to  come  into  the  parlor,  in  which  were  Mrs.. 
Surratt  and  several  strange  men,  one  of  whom 
stepped  up  and  said  we  were  all  arrested,  and 
must  go  with  them.  Mrs.  Surratt  asked  them  to 
wait  a  few  moments,  and  she  knelt  down  and 
prayed,  the  men  taking  off  their  hats  while  she 
did  so.  She  then  arose,  saying  she  was  ready. 
They  put  us  in  an  ambulance  and  drove  to  the 
Provost  Marshal's,  as  you  know.  There,  poor 
Anna  liked  to  have  gone  wild ;  her  mother  said 
all  she  could  to  calm  her,  but  she  is  so  excitable 
and  hysterical  that  no  one  could  do  anything  with 
her.  She  asked  the  officer  how  he  dared  accuse 
her  mother  of  helping  Booth  ?  Just  about  day, 
they  brought  us  here,  and  put  us  in  the  rooms 


maey's  second  aeeest.  85 

up-stairs.  We  were  allowed  to  walk  about,  and 
were  not  locked  in,  even  at  niglit.  We  were 
there  three  days,  at  the  end  of  which  time  I  was 
released.  I  thought  all  my  trouble  was  ended, 
but  last  Monday  night  I  was  at  a  Fair  given  for 

the  benefit  of  St. Church,  when  a  man  came 

in  and  asked  for  me ;  some  one  pointed  me  out 
at  the  table  where  I  stood.  He  then  took  me 
aside,  and  told  me  I  was  wanted  at  the  Provost 
Marshal's  office,  but  only  for  a  few  moments.  I 
sent  for  Father  W.,  to  whom  the  man  told  the 
same  story ;  so  I  had  to  go.  At  the  Provost 
Marshal's  they  began  to  ask  me  all  sorts  of  ques- 
tions, about  things  of  which  I  had  never  even 
heard,  and  finding  I  did  not  answer  as  they 
wished,  an  officer  asked  me,  '  if  Mrs.  Surratt  had 
not  made  me  take  an  oath  not  to  tell  anything  ? ' 
Then  they  put  me  in  the  ambulance,  and  I  soon 
found  they  were  not  taking  me  to  the  Fair.  I 
began  to  suspect  that  they  were  bringing  me 
here,  so  I  turned  to  the  detective  and  said  : 

"  'Sir,  I  always  like  to  commend  myself  to  our 


86  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

Lord,  and,  if  you  have  no  objection,  will  do  so 
now.' 

"'I  have  no  objection,  certainly  not,'  he  an- 
swered. 

"  I  knelt  down  in  the  ambulance,  and  mak- 
ing the  sign  of  the  cross,  placed  myself  under 
our  Lord's  protection.  They  brought  me  here, 
and  put  me  in  this  room.  I  was  terribly  frightened 
at  being  alone,  and  all  night  long  I  walked  up 
and  down  ;  I  would  not  have  gone  to  sleep  for 
anything  in  the  world." 

"  What  prisoners  were  up-stairs  with  you  ?  " 
I  asked. 

"  Only  a  Mrs.  Johnson,  who  has  been  here 
for  some  time,  and  a  Mrs.  Jones  with  a  little 
baby,  who  was  brought  some  weeks  before," 
she  replied;  and  then  added,  "A  good  many 
have  come  since ;  I  have  seen  three  taken  up 
this  week." 

It  was  now  afternoon,  and  I  was  still  so 
wearied,  that  I  lay  down  again.  I  was  just 
about  closing  my  eyes,  when,  on  turning  them 


THAT   KEYHOLE.  87 

toward  the  door,  I  saw  that  some  one  was  look- 
ing in  through  the  hole  I  have  mentioned  before. 
It  was  the  soldier  on  guard.  Whether  he  was 
ordered  to  have  an  eye  on  the  prisoners,  or  not, 
I  do  not  know  ;  but  if  he  had  received  any  such 
command,  I  can  testify  to  its  literal  fulfilment; 
for,  until  relieved  from  duty,  there  he  was,  watch- 
ing us  continually.  We  constantly  stopped  up 
the  hole  with  a  piece  of  the  newspaper  I  had 
brought  with  me,  and  which  was  just  as  perti- 
naciously pushed  out  with  the  point  of  the 
bayonet.  I  am  not  naturally  a  vindictive  or 
cruel  woman,  but  I  think,  had  I  dared  to  punch 
the  end  of  my  parasol  in  that  staring,  fishy  eye,  I 
would  have  experienced  the  most  intense  satis- 
faction. That  eye  drove  all  sleep  away ;  it  exert- 
ed an  influence  the  opposite  of  mesmeric ;  it 
was  impossible  to  resist  its  fascination,  for  I 
could  look  at  nothing  else. 

I  arose,  went  to  the  window,  and  for  the  first 
time  scanned  the  faces  of  those  who  passed  and 
repassed.      Among   them   I   recognized   an   ac- 


88  THE    OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

quaintance ;  he  gave  me  a  peculiar  look,  and  I 
smiled.  Seeing  I  remembered  him,  be  watched 
until  the  guard  turned  his  back,  then  managing 
to  get  just  in  front  of  the  window,  said,  "  I  saw 
your  cousin,  Mrs.  Windsor,  to-day." 

I  waited  until  he  passed  again,  and  then 
asked,  "  Is  she  well?" 

To  this  I  received  no  answer,  and  the  guard 
near  the  window  looked  in  very  suspiciously, 
but  I  was  leaning  my  chin  on  my  hand,  gazing 
innocently  at  the  white-washed  fence.  I  did  not 
attempt  anything  of  the  kind  again,  as  I  had  no 
fancy  for  a  Yankee  bullet — the  orders  being  to 
shoot  any  prisoner  holding  communication  with- 
out permission.  My  kind  friend,  fearing,  I  sup- 
pose, some  imprudence  on  my  part,  changed  his 
walk  to  another  portion  of  the  yard. 

And  now  let  me  speak  a  word  in  regard  to 
prison  rules.  They  were  exceedingly  strict,  but 
no  prisoner  was  ever  told  what  they  were  ;  there- 
fore one  was  in  constant  danger  of  breaking 
them  through  ignorance — the  first  intimation  of 


PRISON   RULES.  89 

his  transgression  being  the  whiz  of  a  bullet  un- 
comfortably near. 

One  afternoon  I  was  more  than  usually  op- 
pressed by  the  foul  air  of  our  room,  and  turning 
to  Mary,  said, 

"  I  am  going  to  see  how  far  I  can  lean  out  of 
the  window ;  the  wind  seems  to  be  blowing  at 
the  side,  perhaps  I  can  catch  a  breath  of  fresh 
air  ;  I  am  almost  suffocated." 

"  Oh,  for  heaven's  sake  stop !  you  will  cer- 
tainly be  shot ;  we  are  not  allowed  even  to  place 
our  hands  on  the  iron  bars,  for  fear  we  might  be 
making  signs  to  those  without." 

That  put  a  stop  on  my  part  to  further  efforts 
for  obtaining  fresh  air.  One  night  I  asked  and 
received  permission  to  extend  my  head  beyond 
the  window  sill— the  officer  ordering  the  guard 
not  to  fire,  for  which  I  was  most  sincerely 
grateful. 

Saturday  night  we  supped  on  the  cakes 
again,  and  there  were  only  enough  left  for 
a  very   scanty  breakfast :    still  we   hoped  that 


90  THE   OLD    CAPITOL    AND    ITS    INMATES. 

more  might  be  sent  to  us.  After  supper  was 
brought  in,  I  noticed  that  one  of  the  women 
seemed  disposed  to  linger,  which  she  did,  on 
some  pretence,  until  the  other  left  the  room ; 
then  turning  to  me  she  said  in  a  low  tone, 

"  So,  miss,  I've  found  you  out  now." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  I  asked,  thinking  I 
might  be  suspected  of  some  Guy  Fawkes  plot. 
"  I  never  saw  you  before,"  I  added,  looking  her 
full  in  the  face. 

"  Never  mind  that,  miss,  I've  found  you  out, 
and  I  am  to  have  an  eye  on  you." 

"  Yery  well,"  I  replied,  and  turned  my  back, 
on  which  she  knocked  at  the  door,  and  the 
guard  allowed  her  to  pass.  After  evening  in- 
spection, I  proceeded  to  retire,  for  I  felt  as  if  I 
would  never  be  rested  again,  or  relieved  of  the 
aches  and  pains  consequent  upon  overfatigue. 
The  nights  were  very  cold,  such  as  we  often  ex- 
perience in  early  spring.  Not  being  able  to 
close  the  window  or  to  have  a  fire,  I  really 
suffered.     Fortunately,  I  had  on  winter  clothing 


NO    FIRE    ALLOWED.  91 

and.  had  also  brought  with  me  my  thick  cloak, 
which  in  a  measure  answered  as  a  substitute  for 
the  condemned  blanket ;  but  nothing  could  pre- 
vent my  taking  violent  cold,  which  continued  for 
some  weeks,  until,  indeed,  I  had  become  ac- 
customed to  that  manner  of  life.  Such  sleep  as 
I  obtained  by  snatches  was  not,  as  may  be  sup- 
posed, very  refreshing ;  every  morning  I  was 
aAvakened  by  the  sunlight  which  streamed  across 
my  face. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

Sunday — Destruction  of  Commissary  Stores — Dinner — Unsuc- 
cessful attempt  to  communicate  with  my  friends — Terribly 
frightened — Outside  supplies  cut  off. 

It  was  Sunday — a  lovely,  balmy  Spring  clay, 
reminding  one  of  the  beautiful  outside  world, 
from  which  I  was  so  entirely  cut  off.  I  sat  on 
the  edge  of  my  straw  bed,  and  listened  to  the 
sound  of  distant  church  bells,  as  they  rung  the 
faithful  to  early  prayers.  It  was  very  quiet  in 
the  prison-yard,  except  the  incessant  tramp  of 
the  guard ;  that  never  stopped  or  wearied,  day 
or  night.  I  counted  the  chiming  bells,  listening 
as  one  after  another  caught  the  musical  tone, 
and  sent  it  on  to  the  next.  At  length  they  died 
away ;  and  now  the  daily  round  of  prison-life 
began.  Breakfast  time  again,  and  again  ' 
untied  the  end  of  our  shawl,  containing  our  few 
remaining  stale  cakes,  when  lo  and  behold !  we 


DESTRUCTION   OF   COMMISSARY   STORES.  93 

found  a  small  hole,  and  our  cakes  nearly  gone — 
gnawed  through  by  mice  and  roaches !  Mary 
and  I  just  looked  at  each  other  without  speaking. 
At  length  I  exclaimed, 

"  Oh,  how  did  it  happen?  " 

"  I  will  tell  you,"  replied  Mary  ;  "  we  forgot 
to  hang  the  shawl  up  last  night,  but  left  it  on  the 
chair." 

"  That  is  true,"  said  I,  "  for  I  found  it  on  the 
back  of  the  chair  this  morning." 

There  was  no  help  for  it ;  so  we  had  to  go 
without  our  breakfast.  I  seated  myself  on  the 
bed,  and  taking  a  little  pocket-manual  of  prayers, 
which  I  had  with  me,  endeavored  to  compose 
my  thoughts  sufficiently  to  read.  It  was  a  great 
effort,  for  now  the  church  bells  began  to  sound 
again,  in  a  perfect  chorus,  tantalizing  one  with 
memories  of  out-door  life,  from  which  we  seemed 
so  far  away.  None  can  tell  the  desolate  feeling 
which  at  times  overwhelms  those  immured  in 
close  confinement.  I  read  my  little  book  through 
and  through,  until  my  eyes  ached.     Mary  had 


9i  THE   OLD    CAPITOL    AND    ITS    INMATES. 

her  rosary,  which  seemed  a  consolation.  Out- 
side our  room  there  "was  no  recognition  of  the 
sacred  day. 

I  had  heard  nothing  of  my  friend  up-stairs, 
and  did  not  dare  ash.  Then,  too,  I  was  tor- 
mented with  anxiety  for  those  at  home ;  I  had 
not  been  able  to  convey  to  them  either  line  or 
message,  my  paper  and  writing  materials  having 
been  taken  from  the  basket  I  brought,  and  never 
returned.  Knowing  how  wretched  my  friends 
would  be  at  my  prolonged  absence  and  silence — 
for  I  had  expected  to  return  to  Baltimore  the 
same  day  that  I  came  over — I  determined  if  pos- 
sible to  write.  Calling  to  the  guard,  through 
the  hole  in  the  door,  I  said, 

"  Can  you  not  tell  Mr.  Nelson  I  wish  to  see 
him?" 

He  made  no  answer,  but  I  heard  him  say  to 
a  soldier  in  the  yard,  "Tell  Mr.  Nelson,  some- 
body wants  him  in  the  confined  prison,  will  you?" 
The  man  went,  and  I  waited,  one,  two,  three 
hours,  and  still  Mr.  Nelson  did  not  come. 


DINNER.  95 

The  women  now  brought  in  the  dinner,  and 
as  that  meal  was  set  oh  the  table,  both  Mary  and 
I  gazed  upon  it  with  hungry  eyes,  but  lack- 
ing courage  to  partake. 

"Come,  Mary,"  I  said,  "this  will  never  do; 
we  will  starve  to  death  at  this  rate ;  suppose  we 
try  one  of  these  potatoes  ?  " 

We  each  took  one,  peeled  it,  and  began  to 
eat.  They  were  perfectly  raw,  being  only  warmed 
on  the  outside ;  there  was  a  pinch  of  salt  in  a 
saucer,  but  as  it  had  been  formed  into  a  conglom- 
erate with  gravy  or  something  else,  it  was  not 
very  inviting.  The  bread  was  both  dirty  and 
stale. 

As  the  women  were  carrying  out  the  dinner, 
I  said,  "  Will  you  please  ask  Mr.  Nelson  to  step 
here?" 

"  Haven't  time,"  was  the  answer. 

I  made  another  attempt  with  the  guard,  who 
sent  a  second  messenger.  I  became  desperately 
impatient  as  minutes  lengthened  into  hours 
and  still  Nelson  did  not  appear.     I  walked  the 


96  THE    OLD    CAPITOL    AND    ITS    INMATES. 

floor  until  nearly  night,  listening  to  every  sound, 
when  at  length  I  heard  his  loud  voice  asking, 

"Who  wants  me?" 

Afraid  he  would  pass  by,  I  went  to  the  door 
and  called,  "/wish  to  see  you,  Mr.  Nelson." 

The  lock  was  turned,  and  he  entered  and  said, 
"Well!" 

"  I  wish  to  know  if  I  may  be  allowed  to  write 
a  letter— a  few  lines  to  my  friends  at  home." 

"Certainly,"  he  replied. 

"  But  I  have  no  paper  or  writing  materials." 

"  Of  course  not ;  prisoners  never  have,"  he 
returned. 

"  Then  how  am  I  to  write  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Oh,  we  furnish  these  things  from  the  office. 
You  can  write  eight  lines.  Give  the  letter  to  me 
at  inspection,  and  I  will  send  it." 

I  thanked  him,  and  seeing  him  about  to  leave, 
added,  "  The  writing  materials — how  am  I  to  get 
them  from  the  office?" 

"  I  will  bring  them  to  you." 

But  ho  did  not  that  day,  nor  the  next  day, 


NO    COMMUNICATION    WITH   FRIENDS.  97 

nor  any  clay,  although  I  constantly  reminded 
him.  Whether  it  was  really  an  oversight  on  his 
part,  or  whether  he  had  orders  to  the  contrary, 
I  am  not  able  to  say ;  all  I  know  is,  that  I  was 
not  allowed  to  write  a  line,  or  send  or  receive  a 
message,  during  the  whole  period  of  my  incar- 
ceration. One  thing  I  constantly  noticed,  and 
that  was,  they  seldom  refused  any  request,  in 
ivords,  thereby  tantalizing  the  poor  prisoner 
until  all  hope  departed.  Truth  was  utterly 
ignored,  and  I  have  known  the  most  barefaced 
falsehoods  to  be  told  without  the  least  hesitation 
on  the  part  of  officials. 

Sunday  night  we  went  supperless  to  bed.  I 
lay  down,  leaving  poor  Mary  pacing  the  floor, 
which  she  did  constantly.  I  begged  her  to  try 
and  sleep,  but  after  awhile  she  asked  if  she  might 
come  and  lie  beside  me.  Of  course  I  consented, 
although  the  bed  was  rather  narrow  to  accommo- 
date two.  I  covered  her  in  the  blanket,  and  put- 
ting my  arm  around  her,  she  soon  fell  asleep,  and 
to  my  astonishment  I  followed  her  example. 


98  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

How  long  we  slept  I  do  not  know,  but  sud- 
denly we  both  started  up  and  listened.  Present- 
ly we  heard  a  long  drawn  "  Oh,"  proceeding 
apparently  from  the  cellar  beneath  us. 

"  What  on  earth  is  it '? "  said  Mary  under  her 
breath,  and  shaking  like  a  leaf. 

"  I  don't  know,"  I  answered,  just  as  much 
frightened  ;  "  let  us  call  the  guard." 

"  Oh,  no,"  she  returned ;  "  better  not." 

Again  we  heard  the  sound,  but  it  seemed  not 
of  pain  but  weariness. 

"  Mary,"  said  I,  "  I  will  get  up  and  light  our 
candle." 

"  Oh,  please  do  not  leave  me,  I  am  so  afraid," 
she  replied,  holding  me  tight. 

"  "We  will  go  together  then  ;  but  let  us  take 
our  shoes  off  first,  and  throw  them  across  the 
room  to  drive  away  the  mice  and  roaches." 

We  did  so,  and  after  a  few  moments  arose, 
still  clinging  to  each  other,  and  groped  our  way 
to  the  shawl  hanging  at  the  farther  end  of  the 
room,  in  the  corner  of  which  our  candle-ends  and 


TERRIBLY   FRIGHTENED;  99 

matches  were  tied.  We  soon  struck  a  light ;  and 
picking  up  our  shoes  returned  to  the  bed  again. 
We  did  not  attempt  to  lie  down,  but  sat  on  the 
edge,  listening  to  every  sound — every  now  and 
then  speaking  in  a  whisper  to  each  other.  As 
soon  as  one  piece  of  candle  would  burn  down, 
we  would  light  another — day  beginning  to  dawn 
just  as  the  last  piece  flickered,  flared  up,  and 
went  out.  We  heard  nothing  after  we  had  the 
light.  It  was  not  until  several  days  had  elapsed 
that  we  discovered  the  cause  of  our  alarm,  viz. : 
a  large  gray  cat,  which  had  accidentally  been 
locked  in  the  cellar  beneath  us.  Meanwhile,  we 
dreaded  the  approach  of  night. 

Monday  following,  when  Nelson  made  his  ap- 
pearance, I  asked, 

"  Can  we  not  have  a  light  to  burn  all  night  ? ' 

"  What's  that  for  ?  "  he  answered. 

"  Because  we  are  afraid,"  I  said. 

"  What  !  if  the  guard  is  outside  ?" 

"  We  are  as  afraid  of  him  as  anything  else," 
said  Mary. 


100  THE   OLD    CAPITOL    AND    ITS    INMATES. 

"  Nonsense,"  returned  Kelson.  "  No,  you 
can't  have  a  light,"  going  out  and  shutting  the 
door. 

Imagine  how  we  felt ! 

Our  candle  seemed  shorter  than  usual  to  our 
eyes.  We  thought  we  would  extinguish  it,  and 
relight  it  in  an  emergency.  We  put  it  out,  tak- 
ing it  on  the  bed  with  us,  but  soon  found  that  it 
attracted  the  mice  and  roaches  to  such  a  degree, 
that  we  determined  to  light  it,  and  let  it  burn 
out.  Nothing  occurred  to  disturb  us  that  night, 
so  we  might  have  slept  quietly,  had  our  fears 
permitted. 

Mary  and  I  had  exhausted  all  topics  of  con- 
versation at  the  end  of  a  few  days,  and  would  sit 
for  hours  perfectly  silent.  We  had  no  more 
cakes,  but  managed  to  sustain  ourselves  by  eat- 
ing such  food  as  looked  cleanest,  of  that  which 
was  sent  us.     Nelson  said  one  night  to  Mary, 

"  A  basket  has  been  sent  you,  and  as  soon  as 
inspected,  will  be  brought  in." 

We  were  in  high  glee  and  expectation,  but, 


OUTSIDE    SUPPLIES    CUT   OFF.  101 

alas !  were  doomed  to  disappointment,  for  no 
basket  gladdened  our  longing  eyes.  At  length, 
two  days  after,  Mary  said : 

"Mr.  Nelson,  the  basket  yon  spoke  of  has 
never  been  sent  in." 

"  Indeed !"  he  replied,  "  then  it  must  have 
contained  contraband  articles ;"  and  that  was  all 
we  ever  saw  or  heard  of  our  expected  treat. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

"  Journals   of  Civilization"? — Prison  Etiquette — The  faithful 
Hibernian — Prisoner  in  irons — Interview  with  Mr.  H. 

Now  we  had  another  source  of  annoyance, 
and  that  was,  our  meals  were  allowed  to  remain 
in  our  room  all  day.  The  food  was  never  taken 
away,  except  to  bring  in  another  supply ;  conse- 
quently, our  room  was  swarming  with  flies  in  the 
day,  and  with  vermin  at  night ;  the  only  advan- 
tage was,  that  the  mice  and  the  roaches  which  at 
one  time  ran  on  our  beds,  now  preferred  the 
table,  where  there  was  more  tempting  food. 
Three  days  had  elapsed  without  change  or 
variety,  except  some  new  faces  among  the 
prisoners  in  the  yard,  when  one  day  we  heard 
something  falling  on  the  floor,  and  looking  round 
saw  some  chocolate  drops  and  other  bits  of 
candy,  evidently  thrown   in  by  a   kind-hearted 


JOURNALS   OF   CIVILIZATION.  103 

prisoner.  We  were  about  to  pick  them  up, 
when,  looking  towards  the  door,  I  saw  the  eye  of 
the  guard  at  the  hole,  and  calling  my  com- 
panion's attention  to  it,  we  resumed  our  former 
positions.  Shortly  after  we  beheld  the  roaches, 
ants,  etc.,  making  way  with  our  candy,  to  their 
evident  satisfaction. 

Another  day  the  guard  at  our  door  unlocked 
it,  and  threw  in  "Harper's  Weekly,"  "New  York 
Herald,"  and  a  dime  novel,  called  the  "  Trap- 
per's Bride."  We  never  knew  who  sent  them, 
but  supposed  some  prisoner  bribed  the  guard  to 
throw  them  in  to  us.  How  eagerly  they  were 
read,  and  how  often,  even  to  the  advertisements, 
it  is  impossible  to  state.  They  seemed  a  link 
between  us  and  the  outer  world.  Will  I  ever 
forget  "The  Trapper's  Bride?"  I  think  not, 
although,  as  I  now  recall  it,  it  was  merely  a  mass 
of  improbable  incidents  told  in  a  lingo  intelligible, 
perhaps,  to  the  class  of  persons  for  whom  it  was 
originally  written,  but  beyond  my  comprehension, 
leaving  my  mind  in  bewildering   doubt   as   to 


104  THE   OLD   CAPITOL    AND    ITS   INMATES. 

whether  the  bear  ate  "  the  bride,"  or  "  the  bride" 
ate  the  bear.  However,  it  answered  to  while 
away  the  heavy  hours,  and  was  very  welcome. 
"Harper's  Weekly"  contained  the  usual  number 
of  interesting  stories,  "  to  be  continued,"  just  as 
one  is  dying  to  know  if  "  the  man"  succeeded  in 
making  his  escape,  hoping  it  might  contain  hints 
applicable  to  a  forlorn  "  Carrol  prisoner."  The 
"  New  York  Herald,"  with  pages  of  political  quar- 
rels, accusing  "  Mr.  B.  of  plundering  the  treasury, 
and  Mr.  C.  of  buying  up  votes,  and  Mr.  D.  of  ' 
being  a  turncoat,  bought  up  by  the  highest 
bidder,"  altogether  showing  an  awfully  depraved 
state  of  morals  among  the  "Herald's"  acquaint- 
ances, and  which  that  immaculate  sheet  felt  in 
duty  bound  to  hold  up  for  public  abhorrence  and 
detestation.  Then,  too,  were  several  pages  of 
most  delicious  mysterious  advertisements,  such 
as  "  the  man  in  green  spectacles  call  at  No. 
94 ;"  "  Susie,  he  is  on  your  track  ;"  "  the  body  of 
an  unknown  man,  in  gray  pants  and  blue  jacket, 
found  floating  in  the  dock,  a  letter  in   cipher 


THE   FAITHFUL   IRISHMAN.  105 

clasped  in  his  hand,"  etc.,  etc.  I  read  the  notices 
over  and  over,  imagining  events  and  causes  to 
correspond.  But  after  a  few  days  I  wearied  of 
this  occupation,  and  my  imprisonment  pressed 
harder  and  harder  upon  me.  I  knew  my  friends 
at  home  would  make  every  effort  to  ascertain 
where  I  was,  and  I  was  in  constant  dread  lest 
another  one  should  be  brought  to  that  terrible 
place. 

And  now  we  had  a  second  midnight  scare. 
Mary  and  myself  had  just  fallen  asleep,  when  we 
heard  rather  loud  talking  between  the  guard  in 
front  of  our  door  and  two  men.  The  latter  were 
saying,  "Now,  you  let  us  pass,  there's  a  good 
fellow." 

"  In  faith,  no,  ye's  can't  go  in,"  the  guard  re- 
plied. 

"  But  we  just  want  to  call  upon  the  ladies," 
continued  the  men,  who,  we  now  discovered,  were 
very  much  intoxicated. 

"  An'  me  to  be  screwed  up  by  the  thumbs  to- 
morrow.   I  tell  ye's  agin,  no." 

5* 


106  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

"  Here's  our  permit,"  said  one  of  the  inen,  and 
through  the  hole  in  the  door  we  saw  him  hand  a 
piece  of  paper  to  the  guard. 

"  Divil  a  bit  can  I  read,"  said  the  guard ; 
"  and  permits  or  no,  ye'll  not  git  in  to-night,  an' 
if  ye'll  take  a  frind's  advice,  ye'll  go  out  of  this 
before  I  help  ye's  out  with  the  pint  of  the 
bayonit." 

The  men  then  retired,  uttering  maledictions 
against  the  obstinate  Irishman. 

Mary  and  myself  had  kept  perfectly  still 
during  this  dialogue,  but  I  think  one  could  almost 
have  heard  the  beating  of  our  hearts  as  we  sat 
on  the  edge  of  our  bed  listening,  and  hardly 
daring  to  breathe.  The  night  wore  away  without 
further  incident,  and  if  any  two  ever  rejoiced  to 
see  the  dawning  of  day,  I  think  those  two  were 
Mary  and  myself.  It  was  positively  forbidden 
to  admit  liquor  into  the  prison  building,  yet  I 
venture  to  say,  there  was  any  amount  of  drunk- 
enness among  the  male  prisoners.  I  saw  enough 
of  it  myself,  but  it  was  only  after  inspection  was 


OFFICIAL   ANTAGONISM.  107 

over  for  the  night.  How  the  spirit  was  obtained 
I  do  not  know,  but  suppose  the  guards  were  no 
more  invulnerable  to  bribes,  etc.,  than — others. 
"We  were  never  disturbed  in  a  like  manner  again  ; 
indeed,  our  case  appeared  to  excite  general  sym- 
pathy, judging  from  the  kind  looks  directed  to- 
wards us  by  the  prisoners  in  the  yard.  Perhaps 
our  would-be  visitors  were  afterwards  ashamed 
of  the  part  they  played  on  the  occasion. 

I  had  not  as  yet  seen  H.  Mary  told  me  she 
heard  he  had  gone  for  John  Surratt,  and  no  one 
knew  when  he  would  return.  I  was  very  anxious 
to  see  him,  as  he  was  the  civil  head  of  the  prison, 
and  nothing  could  be  done  without  his  sanction. 
I  may  here  mention,  that  this  prison  was  under 
both  civil  and  military  rule,  and,  as  usual  in  such 
cases,  the  two  authorities  were  continually  clash- 
ing.    The  antagonism  was  manifested  by  General 

sending  in  prisoners  during  H.'s  absence, 

whom  the  latter  would  dismiss  on  his  return. 
Being  conscious  of  my  own  innocence,  no  wonder 
I  looked  eagerly  for  the  arrival  of  the  only  person 


108  THE    OLD   CAPITOL    AND    ITS    INMATES. 

who  had  authority  to  release  rne,  or  to  mitigate 
the  severity  of  my  imprisonment. 

I  began  to  feel  the  want  of  exercise  terribly, 
although  I  walked  up  and  down  the  room  for 
hours ;  still  it  had  not  the  same  effect  as  one-half 
hour  in  the  air  and  sunshine.  I  had  been  nearly 
two  weeks  in  prison,  when  late  one  night  a  vehicle 
was  driven  into  the  yard.  We  went  to  the  win- 
dow and  saw  an  ambulance  standing  in  the 
sha*dow  of  the  building ;  then  we  distinctly  heard 
the  clanking  of  iron,  and  in  a  moment  or  two 
after,  a  man  with  hands  and  feet  manacled  was 
helped  out  by  two  soldiers  and  led  into  the  build- 
ing. We  sat  at  the  window  the  greater  part  of 
the  night,  hoping  to  overhear  something  which 
would  give  us  a  clew  as  to  who  the  prisoner  was, 
or  at  least  where  from  ;  but  no  word  was  uttered, 
either  when  the  man  was  brought  in  or  after- 
wards. Everything  was  done  so  silently  in  this 
building,  and  surrounded  with  such  an  air  of 
mystery,  that  we  were  kept  in  a  constant  state  of 
nervous  excitement. 


INTERVIEW    WITH   ME.    II.  109 

"I  think  it  must  be  John  Surratt,"  said  Mary, 
"  and  Mr.  H.  has  returned." 

She  was  right  in  the  latter  conjecture,  for 
the  nest  day  H.  made  his  appearance  on  his 
usual  tour  of  inspection.     Seeing  me,  he  said, 

"  Why,  you  here  !  how  comes  that  ?  " 

"Indeed,"  said  I,  "that  is  just  what /wish 
to  know." 

"  "Well,  let  us  hear  about  it,"  he  said,  taking 
a  seat  on  my  bed. 

I  then  gave  him  the  account  written  here, 
and  for  the  first  time  my  fortitude  forsook  me, 
and  I  burst  into  tears. 

"  Mr.  H.,"  I  added,  "  do  you  think  I  would 
have  come  to  Washington,  and  have  gone  to  the 
Departments,  had  I  been  guilty?  You,  as  a 
detective,  know  that  such  would  not  be  the  course 
of  one  who  had  rendered  herself  obnoxious  to 
the  Government." 

"No,"  he  answered  in  a  musing  manner;  and 
then,  as  if  speaking  to  himself  more  than  to  me, 
said,  "  there's  some  mistake." 


110  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

"  Can  I  not  see  my  friend  up-stairs,"  I  asked 
anxiously.  "  I  am  suffering  in  this  horrible 
room." 

"I'll  look  and  see  what  the  charges  are  first," 
he  replied,  rising. 

"  Oh,  please  come  back,"  I  cried,  "  and  tell 
me  ;"  for,  remembering  how  often  Nelson  had 
disappointed  me,  I  was  fearful  that  H.  meant  to 
treat  me  in  the  same  way.  He  turned  and 
said, 

"  I  will  come  back,  yes,  in  half  an  hour  or 
so,  and  if  you  can  see  your  friend,  3rou  certainly 
shall." 

Here  was  a  drop  of  comfort.  Half  an  hour 
or  three-quarters  passed,  and  I  heard  H.  say  in 
the  passage,  "  D — n  it,  no  sooner  is  my  back 
turned,  than  they  fill  the  prison  with  people  who 
have  no  business  being  here."  Opening  our 
door,  he  said,  "  Yes,  you  can  see  your  friend,  but 
not  yet  awhile.  I  have  to  take  you  past  the 
guards,  and  have  not  time  to  do  it  now,  but  will 
this  afternoon." 


A   STRANGE    SCENE.  Ill 

I  thanked  him,  but  lie  did  not  listen. 

A  few  moments  after  I  witnessed  a  strange 
scene  among  the  prisoners  in  the  yard.  The 
hearty  laughing  (an  unusual  occurrence)  first  at- 
tracted me,  and  looking  out  I  saw  H.,  armed 
with  a  huge  stick,  chasing  one  of  the  prisoners, 
who  seemed  hardly  to  know  which  way  to  run, 
until  seeing  the  outer  entrance  open,  he  darted 
through — H.  after  him.  In  a  few  moments  H.  re- 
turned, out  of  breath,  and  throwing  the  stick 
back  on  the  wood  pile  said,  "Let  me  catch  him 
here  again,  and  I'll  serve  him  the  same  way,"  at 
which  the  men  laughed  and  clapped  their  hands, 
those  who  had  caps  throwing  them  in  the  air. 
I  afterwards  heard  that  on  looking  at  the  record 
H.  saw  that  the  man  was  detained  on  a  mere 
pretence,  and  he  being  an  old  friend  of  his  (H.'s), 
he  took  this  strange  method  of  effecting  his  re- 
lease. The  military  authorities  were  highly  in- 
dignant at  the  occurrence,  but  H.  only  laughed, 
and  went  his  way. 


CHAPTEE    IX. 

Allowed  to  visit  my  cousin — Return  at  nine  with  supplies — 
Disappointment — Rainy  day  in  prison — Another  arrival — 
Mrs.  Thomas's  story — Mary's  disgust. 

That  afternoon  H.  came,  true  to  promise,  and 
unlocking  the  door,  threw  it  open,  and  said, 
"  Now,  madam,  come  with  me." 

I  cannot  express  my  feelings  as  I  saw  the 
exit  before  me,  although  I  was  only  going  to 
another  part  of  the  prison.  I  sprang  toward  the 
door,  from  which  the  guard  now  stepped  aside, 
and  following  H.  up  the  narrow,  dirty  steps,  saw 
at  the  top  a  crowd  of  strange  but  sympathizing 
faces  watching  my  ascent,  while  a  little  behind 
them  stood  my  cousin,  trying  to  master  her 
agitation.  At  the  sight  of  her  tearful  face,  I 
outstripped  my  guide,  and  the  women  dividing 
on  either  side,  my  cousin  stepped  forward  to 
meet  me,  when  we  fell  into  each  other's  arms 


VISIT   TO   MY    COUSIN.  113 

sobbing — the  women  around  joining  from  sym- 
pathy, and  then  each  came  up  and  shook  me  by 
the  hand. 

I  entered  my  cousin's  room,  which  was  a 
small  one  over  the  passage.  As  a  great  favor, 
Mr.  Windsor  was  allowed  to  remain  with  his 
wife.  I  found  they  were  permitted  many  privi- 
leges, such  as  having  clothes  sent  in  from  out- 
side, and  baskets  of  all  kinds  of  provisions,  as 
well  as  china,  glass,  etc. ;  in  fact  they  were  keep- 
ing house  on  a.  small  scale,  independent  of  prison 
fare  ;  all  of  which  was  allowed  through  the  efforts 
of  a  friend  who  had  the  necessary  influence.  Mr. 
Windsor  had  the  daily  papers  sent  to  him,  also. 
The  room  fronted  the  Capitol  grounds  —  how 
beautiful  and  refreshing  was  the  sight  of  green 
trees  and  grass  to  my  aching  eyes !  I  felt  as  if 
I  should  never  tire  looking  at  them.  Time 
passed  rapidly,  as  my  friends  and  inyself  talked 
over  our  different  experiences.  While  with  them, 
the  servant  woman  who  had  given  me  such  a 
fright  before,  came  in  and  said, 


114:  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   ESTMATES. 

"  I'm  glad  to  see  you  here,  miss." 

"  Thank  you,"  I  answered. 

After  she  left,  my  friend  said, 

"  "When  I  ascertained  you  were  down-stairs, 
Mr.  Windsor  told  that  woman  to  attend  to  your 
comfort  and  he  would  fee  her  for  it." 

"  She  told  me  she  had  found  me  out ;  and  not 
understanding  what  she  meant  I  was  very  much 
frightened."  . 

"Yes,  she  told  us  'you  was  'fear'd  of  her,  and 
she  was  'fear'd  of  you.'  We  thought  it  best  not 
to  attempt  anything  of  the  kind  again." 

I  sat  with  my  friends  until  inspection,  taking 
tea  with  them.  I  really  enjoyed  that  meal,  and, 
on  leaving,  took  quite  a  supply  of  nice  things  to 
my  fellow-prisoner,  whom  I  had  last  seen  look- 
ing after  me  with  wistful,  mournful  eyes.  At 
nine  p.  m.  I  accompanied  Nelson  past  the  guards, 
and  returned  to  my  prison.  I  found  poor  Mary 
in  very  low  spirits,  but  the  little  supper  soon 
wrought  a  change.  That  was  the  first  hearty 
meal  we  had  taken  since  my  imprisonment.     I 


RAINY   DAY    IN    PRISON.  115 

also  brought  her  the   daily  papers,  which  were 
a  great  treat. 

The  next  day  H.  did  not  come,  so  I  remained 
down-stairs.  On  asking  Nelson  for  him,  I  was 
told  he  was  away,  and  would  be  absent  for  some 
time.  I  was  greatly  disappointed,  thinking  I 
could  not  visit  my  friends  until  his  return.  Three 
days  passed  without  any  incident,  except  that  I 
saw  among  the  prisoners  the  man  who  had  been 
so  badly  beaten  on  his  arrest.  The  bandages 
were  still  around  his  head,  and  he  looked  very 
pale,  as  if  he  had  been  sick. 

In  the  afternoon  it  began  to  rain  violent- 
ly. None  can  tell  the  depressing  effect  of  a 
steady  rain  on  those  confined  in  a  dingy,  dirty 
room,  with  nothing  of  interest  to  relieve  the 
monotony;  even  the  yard  was  deserted  by  all 
save  the  guard,  who,  muffled  in  great-coats,  with 
capes  turned  over  their  heads,  endeavored  to 
protect  themselves  against  the  pitiless  storm.  It 
was  on  such  an  evening  as  this,  just  before  gas- 
light, that  I  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  woman,  her 


116  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

clothes  all  bedraggled  with  rain  and  mud, 
her  head  protected  by  nothing  but  a  worsted 
scarf,  which  was  also  tied  around  her  neck,  and 
from  which  the  rain  was  running  in  little 
streams.  I  had  just  time  to  see  this  much,  when 
Nelson  unlocked  our  door,  and  the  poor  wet 
creature  entered. 

She  looked  around  for  one  moment,  then  seat- 
ing herself  on  my  bed,  began  to  cry  and  wring 
her  hands,  as  if  in  agony.  It  was  some  time  be- 
fore I  could  make  her  listen  to  a  word,  but  at 
last  I  succeeded  in  persuading  her  to  take  the 
wet  scarf  off  her  head.  She  had  on  a  calico 
dress,  which  was  but  little  protection  against  the 
rain.  She  sat  still  now,  only  crying  quietly,  wip- 
ing her  eyes  occasionally  on  her  apron.  The 
men  soon  brought  in  and  made  up  her  bed,  as 
they  had  done  mine,  on  my  arrival.  She  ate  quite 
heartily  at  supper,  not  being  affected  with  the 
squeamishness  experienced  by  Mary  and  mj'self. 

After  she  had  finished,  she  turned  to  me,  and 
said,  "  I  hain't  been  to  town  before  for  thirteen 


mrs.  thomas's  stoky.  117 

years;  to  be  sure  I  hain't  seen  much;"  then 
looking  at  the  eatables  she  remarked,  "  I  s'pose 
to-morrow  we'll  have  hot  bread  and  coffee ;  I 
hain't  been  used  to  cold." 

"  We  get  the  same  every  day,"  I  answered. 

"  In-deed  ! "  she  replied. 

Then  after  a  pause  I  asked,  "  How  came  you 
here?" 

As  if  glad  of  an  opportunity  to  tell  her  story, 
she  began,  and  told  the  following,  without  pause 
or  punctuation  of  any  kind,  or  altering  the  tone 
of  her  voice,  which  was  rather  low  and  nasal : 

"  You  see  my  name's  Thomas — wife  of  Jim 

Thomas  of county  ;  all  the  neighbors  knows 

us.  My  husband  he  farms,  raises  splendid 
peaches,  reckon  you'se  seen  'em  in  the  "Washing- 
ton Market  ?"  looking  towards  me. 

"  Perhaps  I  have,"  I  replied,  as  she  waited 
for  an  answer. 

"Well,  Jim  come  in  one  day,  and  says  he, 
'Nancy,'  says  he,  'they  do  say  the  President's 
killed.'     ' In-dee&V  says  I;  'Yes,'  says  he.  'and 


118  THE    OLD    CAPITOL    AND    ITS    INMATES. 

I  believe  it's  true,  for  the  almanac  seel  this  was 
a-going  to  be  a  most  -unfortunate  year,  an'  so  it 
'pears.'  At  that,  Jim  looked  study  into  the 
kitchen  fire,  and  seemed  worrited  like.  Now, 
Jim — he's  a  very  curous  kind  o'  man,  and  I 
knowed  the  more  questions  I  asked,  the  less  he'd 
answer,  so  I  jes'  went  on  and  fixed  breakfast,  and 
waited  till  Jim  was  ready  to  tell  me.  After  a 
while,  sure  enough,  he  sets  to,  and  give  me  the 
whole  account,  jes'  as  he  read.it  in  the  paper  at 
the  store.  "Well,  it  'pears  like  it  sorter  dumb- 
founded me,  but  after  a  while,  says  I,  '  Jim,'  says 
I,  '  I  do  hope  an'  truss  the  man  what  killed  the 
President  won't  be  a-comin'  this  way.'  '  I  think 
they  must  a-ketched  him  by  this  time,'  says  Jim. 
We  talked  some  time  longer,  and  then  Jim  went 
back  to  work.  After  I  had  finished  work  in  the 
kitchen,  I  took  my  sewing  an'  sot  down  near  the 
front  door,  but  it  'pears  like  as  if  I  couldn't  get 
the  matter  out  o'  my  head,  and  I  jes'  kep'  on  a- 
jumpin'  up  and  looking  up  and  down  the  road. 
"Well,  I  hadn't  been  there  more'n  an  hour  or  so, 


mks.  thomas's  story.  119 

when  I  seen  a  great  dust  a-comin'  down  the 
road ;  the  first  thing  that  struck  me  was  that  the 
cows  had  got  out,  and  I  looked  again  and  seen 
something  a-shining  in  the  sun ;  then,  says  I  to 
myself,  '  them  shiny  things  ain't  cows'  horns ; 
they've  got  no  call  to  shine  that  a-way ;'  and 
with  that  I  put  my  specs  on,  and  then  I  see  sick 
a  sight  as  my  two  eyes  never  rested  on  before. 
Yes,  'twas  the  soldiers,  and  them  shiny  things 
was  the  guns.  I  was  so  taken  aback,  like,  at  the 
sight,  that  if  they  had  rode  up  then  and  axed  me 
if  I  killed  the  President,  I  believe  I  should  a  sed 
'Yes.'  But  before  they  got  up  to  me  nry senses 
had  come  back.  And  now  they  come  so  nigh  I 
could  see  their  faces,  and  who  do  you  'spose  was 
a-leadin'  of  'em  ?  Why,  our  nigger  boy,  Bob  ; 
it's  as  true  as  I  am  a-sittin'  here.  '  Well,'  says  I, 
'  Bob,  you're  in  fine  company.'  He  helt  his  head 
shamed,  like,  while  the  cap'n  he  got  off  his  horse, 
and,  says  he,  '  I've  come  to  know  about  that  lame 
man  as  was  here  a  few  days  ago.'  '  What  lame 
man  ? '  says  I.      '  You  know  well  enough,'  says 


120  THE    OLD    CAPITOL    AND    ITS    INMATES. 

lie.  'Who  told  you  there  was  any  lame  man 
here?'  says  I.  'Him,'  says  he,  a-pointing  with 
his  thumb  over  his  shoulder  at  Bob.  'You 
oudacious  nigger,'  says  I  to  Bob,  'what  He  is 
that  you've  been  a-tellin'  ?  '  Now,  Bob  was  a 
half-witted  boy,  and  you  couldn't  'pend  upon  him 
for  nothin' ;  for  when  he  seen  you  wanted  him  to 
say  anything,  he'd  say  it,  no  matter  if  it  was  true 
or  not,  and  he  seen  the  cap'n  wanted  him  to  say 
a  lame  man  had  been  there.  Bob  made  no 
answer.  'Cap'n,'  says  I,  'jes'  let  me  to  speak  to 
Bob,  will  you?'  'Certainly,'  says  he.  'Now, 
Bob,'  says  I,  'jes'  you  take  yourself  off  that  horse 
and  come  here.'  He  done  it,  and  says  I,  '  Bob,' 
says  I,  '  did  you  tell  the  cap'n  that  a  lame  man 
had  been  here  ? '  '  Yes,'  says  he,  '  and  there  has.' 
'  When  ? '  says  I.  '  Day  'fore  yesday,'  says  he. 
'  Who  was  it  ? '  says  I.  '  Mr.  Spencer  ;  him  as 
walked  with  a  stick,'  says  he.  'Well,'  says  I, 
'  Bob,  I  always  knowed  you  was  a  great  fool,  but 
I  vow  you  beat  all.  Cap'n,'  says  I,  '  Mr.  Spencei 
was  here  that  day,  and  last  night  too,  for  that ; 


mrs.  thomas's  story.  121 

he's  our  next  neighbor,  and  has  been  lame  from 
a  horse  kick  ever  since  we  knowed  him.'  '  Well, 
old  lady,'  says  the  cap'n,  '  j-ou'll  have  to  go  along 
with  us.'  '  Where  to  ? '  says  I.  '  Oh,  jes'  a  little 
way  to  see  the  colonel,'  says  he.  '  I  don't  like  to 
go  without  my  husband,'  says  I.  '  He's  there 
now,'  says  the  cap'n.  As  good  luck  would  have 
it,  Mrs.  Simkins — John  Simkins's  wife — she  come 
over  jes'  then,  so  I  asked  her  to  lock  the  house 
and  tend  to  things,  which  she  promised  she 
would.  They  drove  what  they  call  a  avelanche 
up,  and  I  got  in.  And  now  it  begun  to  rain 
awful.  Well,  they  driv'  and  driv',  and  bimeby  I 
seen  a  whole  parcel  of  houses,  and,  thinks  I,  this 
certainly  must  be  town,  and  sure  enough  it  was. 
Jes'  before  dark,  they  stopped  before  a  tall  brick 
house,  where  they  told  me  to  get  out.  The  room 
was  full  of  men,  but  Jim  wan't  there.  One  of  the 
men  then  come  up  and  told  me  I  was  to  go  with 
him,  and  he  brought  me  here." 

"  Did  you  walk  all  the  way?"  I  asked. 

"Every  step  on  it ;  we  had  a  umberill,  but  the 

G 


122  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

wind  blowed  so  hard  we  couldn't  raise  it ;  that's 
how  I  got  so  wet." 

From  the  time  Mrs.  Thomas  came  in  until 
she  was  released,  did  I  have  to  listen  to  a  daily 
repetition  of  her  experience,  of  which  she  never 
tired,  and  was  consequently  the  greatest  bore. 
Suggest  any  subject  you  pleased,  aud  she  would 
invariably  get  back  to  her  arrest.  Mary  would 
beg  me  in  despair,  "  For  heaven's  sake  make  the 
woman  hold  her  tongue,"  but  I  was  unequal  to 
the  task.  That  night  she  lay  down  and  slept  in 
all  her  wet  garments ;  after  which  I  expected  to 
see  her  violently  ill,  but  to  my  great  surprise  she 
experienced  no  injurious  effects,  and  next  morn- 
ing ate  a  hearty  breakfast,  although  she  had 
neither  hot  bread  nor  coffee. 


CHAPTER   X. 

Interview  with  Nelson — Second  visit  to  my  cousin — Her 
room — An  account  of  her  arrest — "Anna  Clarke" — De- 
scription of  Mr.  H. 

Another  Sunday,  and  H.  was  still  absent. 
But  I  determined  to  try  my  persuasive  powers 
on  Nelson,  and  sending  for  him,  asked, 

"  Can  I  not  go  up-stairs  to  my  cousin's 
room?" 

"  Oh,  yes." 

"Did  Mr.  H.  leave  any  orders  about  it?" 
said  I. 

"  Yes,  he  said  you  were  to  go  up  every  day, 
if  you  wanted  to." 

"  And  you  never  told  me  all  this  time !"  I  ex- 
claimed. 

"  How  long  can  I  stay  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  All  day,  until  evening  inspection." 


12i  THE    OLD.  CAPITOL   AND    ITS    INMATES. 

"Will  you  be  kind  enough  to  tell  the  guard?" 

He  opened  the  door  and  said,  "  Guard !  this 
lady  is  allowed  to  pass  up  and  down  stairs  be- 
tween morning  and  evening  inspection,  unmo- 
lested, and  you  see  that  the  order  is  passed  on 
to  the  relief." 

The  guard  gave  me  a  good  look,  so  as  to 
identify  me  I  suppose,  and  I  then  bounded  up 
the  stairs  and  in  a  few  moments  entered  my 
friend's  room. 

I  now  took  a  survey  of  the  apartment,  which 
I  had  not  leisure  to  do  on  my  first  visit.  It  had 
one  window  (barred  of  course,)  the  upper  sash 
gone,  and  the  lower  containing  I  think  two  panes 
of  glass.  Near  the  door  was  a  small  wood-stove, 
and  near  it  a  wooden  chair  similar  to  the  one 
down-stairs.  Behind  the  door  stood  a  small 
table  containing  a  tin  basin  and  a  jug  of  water ; 
on  either  side  of  the  room  was  an  iron  bedstead, 
and  a  wooden  bench  between  them.  The  win- 
dow-sill was  quite  deep,  and  served  as  a  shelf  to 
hold  china,  glass,  etc.     Under  the  little  table  was 


SECOND   VISIT   TO   MY   COUSIN.  125 

a  basket  of  clothes.  Bonnet,  shawl,  and  hat 
were  hung  on  nails  behind  the  door,  which  stood 
open  all  day.  The  room  was  a  paradise  com- 
pared to  the  one  I  occupied.  I  found  that 
several  of  the  men  in  the  other  part  of  the  prison 
were  permitted  to  visit  in  this,  provided  they  had 
acquaintances ;  the  passes  being  good  for  a  week 
or  more.  Every  day  some  two  or  three  would 
come  in  and  bring  the  prison  news  from  the  other 
side.  I  saw  that  all  the  doors  had  lock  and  key 
to  them,  and  there  was  no  guard  stationed  in 
that  passage.  The  rooms,  except  my  cousin's, 
were  quite  large,  and  at  that  time  each  contained 
four  inmates,  whose  acquaintance  I  afterwards 
made.  The  floor  above  was  unoccupied,  with 
the  exception  of  a  large  closet,  a  receptacle  for 
blankets,  sheets,  and  other  miscellaneous  arti- 
cles ;  this  was  unlocked,  as  were  also  the  other 
rooms. 

On  asking  my  cousin  for  an  account  of  her  ar- 
rest, she  related  as  follows : 

"Two  days  after  your  visit,  I  w^s  lying  on  the 


126  THE   OLD    CAPITOL   AND   ITS   ESTMATES. 

sofa  one  morning,  feeling  very  weak  and  badly ; 
Mr.  "Windsor  was  down-stairs  in  his  office.  Hear- 
ing a  voice  in  the  hall,  I  looked  up,  and  as  I  did 
so  a  man  entered,  dressed  in  citizen's  clothes. 
Advancing  toward  me,  he  said  inquiringly,  '  Mrs. 
Windsor?' 

"  'Yes,'  I  answered,  'what  do  you  wish?' 

"  'I  am  very  sorry,  madam,  but  I  have  to  go 
over  this  house  to  search  it.' 

"  'By  what  authority  do  you  thus  intrude  on 
the  privacy  of  my  home  ? ' 

"  'By  this,  madam,'  showing  me  on  the  inside 
of  his  coat  the  badge  of  a  detective. 

"  '  Very  well,  sir,  but  I  must  accompany  you, 
as  my  silver  and  other  valuables  are  all  exposed.' 

"  'You   can   do   so;     I    am   responsible   for 
everything,'  he  replied. 

"'I   wish   my  husband  to  be   summoned,' I 
said. 

"  'I   cannot   allow  that,  madam;  there  must 
be  no  communication.' 

"We  then  proceeded  all  over  the  house,  I 


ACCOUNT   OF   HER   ARREST.  127 

unlocking  store-room,  closets,  pantry,  every  place, 
indeed,  about  the  building,  and  insisting  that  he 
should  examine  every  nook  and  cranny,  much 
to  his  disgust ;  but  I  was  determined,  since  he 
came  to  search  the  house,  searched  it  should  be. 
On  looking  out  of  the  window,  I  saw  the  yard 
was  filled  with  soldiers.  The  detective  took  pos- 
session of  every  piece  of  paper  on  which  there 
was  any  writing,  even  my  private  correspondence. 
On  returning  to  the  parlor^  I  said, 

" '  I  hope  you  are  satisfied  that  there  is 
nothing  concealed,  and  now  may  I  be  allowed  to 
ask  what  you  expected  to  find.' 

"  He  clid  not  answer  my  question,  but  said, 

"  'I  shall  be  obliged  to  take  you  to  the  Provost 
Marshal's  office,  but  I  assure  you,  you  will  be 
.  detained  there  but  a  few  moments.' 

" '  May  I  be  allowed  to  lock  up  my  plate  and 
other  valuables  ? ' 

" c  Certainly,  but  it  is  unnecessary,  as  I  am 
going  to  place  a  guard  of  soldiers  in  the  house, 
and  I  will  be  responsible  for  everything.' 


128  THE    OLD    CAPITOL    AND    ITS    INMATES. 

"  Nevertheless  I  did  lock  up  such  things  as  I 
could  think  of  at  the  time,  although  I  left  much 
exposed  which  I  never  expect  to  see  again.  All 
the  while  I  was  busy  about  this,  the  man  did  not 
leave  me.  Having  finished,  I  proceeded  to  array 
myself  in  bonnet  and  cloak. 

" '  Is  not  my  husband  to  accompany  me  ? '  I 
asked. 

" '  He  is  already  at  the  office,'  the  man  an- 
swered. 

"  I  was  about  to  leave  the  room,  when  fortu- 
nately my  eyes  rested  on  my  watch,  and  also  my 
gold  thimble,  which  was  lying  near.  I  took 
them  both,  tying  the  thimble  in  a  corner  of  my 
handkerchief.  I  was  now  very  much  fatigued,  for 
it  was  the  first  day  I  had  been  up  since  my  ill- 
ness. I  went  a  few  steps  and  then  said,  '  I  can 
walk  no  farther;  I  have  been  very  sick,  and  am 
not  able  to  go  on.' 

"  The  man  stopped  and  looked  at  me  doubt- 
ingly.  I  suppose  I  must  have  looked  sick  enough 
even  to  convince  a  detective,  for  he  called  one  of 


ACCOUNT   OF   IIER   ARREST.  129 

tlie  guard,  and  ordered  him  to  bring  an  ambu- 
lance, which  he  did.  In  a  few  moments  I  was 
placed  in  it,  and  driven  to  the  Provost  Marshal's. 
"  I  took  a  seat  and  looked  everywhere  for  Mr. 
Windsor,  but  he  was  evidently  not  there.  Im- 
agine, if  you  can,  my  intense  anxiety.  It  was 
half-past  ten  when  I  was  arrested  and  brought 
to  the  office,  and  there  I  sat  by  nryself  until 
after  three,  at  which  time  Mr.  Windsor  arrived. 
It  seems  he  had  gone  out  soon  after  breakfast, 
and  had  not  returned  until  the  hour  for  dinner, 
when  to  his  great  astonishment  he  saw  the  house 
surrounded  by  soldiers,  and  he  was  arrested  and 
brought  to  the  Provost  Marshal's  office.  We  did 
not  remain  there  long,  but  were  summoned  to 
follow  a  detective,  from  whom  Mr.  Windsor  soon 
ascertained  that  we  were  coming  here.  The  man 
endeavored  to  make  us  walk,  but  Mr.  Windsor 
would  not  hear  of  it;  so  he  very  unwillingly 
stopped  a  car,  into  which  we  all  entered,  and 
were  brought  here,  where  we  have  been  ever 
since." 

6* 


130  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

"  I  wish,"  said  I,  "  you  •would  give  me  some 
account  of  that  'Anna  Clarke'  and  her  letter, 
which  letter  I  was  accused  of  writing." 

"  I  knew  but  little  about  her,"  said  my  friend. 
"  She  was  introduced  to  us  by  an  acquaintance, 
spent  the  day  and  returned  to  Baltimore  the 
same  evening.  A  short  time  after,  Mr.  "Windsor 
received  that  letter,  which  he  deemed  both  un- 
necessary and  dangerous  to  answer.  It  was 
lying  on  the  table  with  others,  and  of  course  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  detective,  and  I  suppose 
was  laid  before  the  Bureau  of  Military  Justice." 

Just  then  a  gentleman  came  to  the  door  and 
said,  "  Mr.  "Windsor,  I  have  just  parted  with  a 
friend  of  yours — a  fellow-prisoner — Mr.  William 
Gordon.  He  told  me  to  present  his  regards  to 
both  of  you,  and — " 

"  Gordon,  Gordon,"  said  Mr.  Windsor,  inter- 
rupting him,  and  putting  his  hand  to  his  head 
as  if  trying  to  remember  who  it  could  be,  then 
added,  "  Is  he  the  son  of  old  Parson  Gordon  of 
Georgetown?" 


DESCRIPTION   OF   ME.    H.  131 

"  Indeed,  I  do  not  know,  sir,"  the  man  an- 
swered. 

"  Well,  if  lie  is  the  son  of  my  old  friend,  Par- 
son Gordon,  tell  him  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  of 
him,  but  if  he  is  not  the  parson's  son,  say  to  him 
he  has  made  a  mistake — we  are  not  the  Wind- 
sors with  whom  he  is  acquainted." 

Will.  Gordon  took  the  hint,  as  he  was  not 
the  son  of  a  parson,  and  never  sent  any  more 
such  imprudent  messages  to  his  friends.  But 
one  Sunday,  shortly  after,  he  applied  for  per- 
mission to  preach  to  the  prisoners  in  the  Carrol 
yard,  and  to  our  great  relief  the  paper  was  re- 
turned to  him  with  "  request  not  granted,"  writ- 
ten across  the  back.  H.  showed  us  this.  H.  very 
often  came  into  that  part  of  the  prison,  and 
would  sit  an  hour  at  a  time  in  the  different 
rooms,  laughing  and  talking  with  the  inmates. 
He  was  very  fond  of  a  joke,  but  at  the  same 
time,  through  all  his  pleasantry  you  felt  that  he 
always  had  an  eye  to  business,  and  if  you  uttered 
an  unwary  word,  he  would  seize  upon  it  and  fol- 


132  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

low  it  up.  He  professed  to  be  an  unbeliever, 
but  had  the  Bible  by  heart;  it  seemed  to  me  he 
was  never  at  a  loss  for  a  quotation.  He  was  not 
much  in  my  cousin's  room ;  indeed,  we  were 
rather  afraid  of  him,  and  never  encouraged  any 
conversation,  except  when  it  was  necessary. 


CHAPTEE   XI. 

Mr    Windsor  before  the  Board— Mrs.  Surratt— The  "  Prince 
of  Detectives"  — An  incident — The  Board  of  Inquiry. 

One  morning,  while  in  my  cousin's  room,  the 
guard  came  up  and  said, 

"  Mr.  "Windsor,  you  are  wanted  by  Colonel 


He  immediately  rose,  and  taking  leave  of  us 
followed  the  guard.  It  frequently  happened  that 
those  summoned  by  the  Board  never  returned — 
whether  they  were  released  or  conveyed  to  an- 
other prison,  was  left  to  conjecture.  One  always 
therefore  prepared  for  the  worst,  took  leave  of 
friends,  and  carried  with  him  such  necessary 
articles  as  he  could.  Mrs.  Windsor  was  weep- 
ing bitterly  at  the  departure  of  her  husband, 
when  a  lady  entered  the  room.  She  was  ap- 
parently about  forty  years  of  age,  a  tall  com- 


134:  THE   OLD    CAPITOL   AND   ITS    INMATES. 

manding  figure,  rather  stout,  with  brown  hair, 
blue  eyes,  thin  nose,  and  small,  well- shaped 
mouth,  denoting  great  firmness.  This  lady  was 
Mrs.  Surratt. 

She  took  her  seat  beside  my  weeping  cousin, 
put  her  arm  around  her  and  drew  her  head  on 
her  shoulder ;  then  she  talked  to  her  in  the  most 
consoling  manner,  and  though  my  cousin  had 
never  seen  her  before  the  imprisonment,  she  was 
as  tender  and  kind  as  if  she  had  been  an  old 
friend.  There  was  a  calm,  quiet  dignity  about 
the  woman,  which  impressed  me  before  I  even 
knew  who  she  was.  She  mingled  very  little  with 
the  other  prisoners,  unless  they  were  sick  or 
sorrowful ;  then,  I  may  truly  say,  she  was  an 
angel  of  mercy.  After  that  day  I  saw  her 
often ;  she  would  come  in  and  read  the  daily 
papers. 

On  one  occasion,  I  remember,  one  of  the 
papers  contained  an  outrageous  account  of  her- 
self and  household,  aspersing  both  her  character 
and  reputation.     "We  endeavored  to  withhold  the 


MRS.    SUERATT.  135 

paper  from  her,  but  she  insisted  on  reading  it. 
I  "watched  her  closely  while  doing  so,  and  for  an 
instant  a  flush  of  womanly  indignation  over- 
spread her  pale  countenance  at  the  insult.  After 
she  had  read  it  all,  she  laid  down  the  paper,  and, 
clasping  her  hands,  raised  her  eyes  to  Heaven 
and  said,  "I  suppose  I  shall  have  to  bear  it." 

That  was  the  only  time  I  ever  knew  her  to 
make  any  allusion  to  her  sufferings.  I  did  not 
see  her  smile  the  whole  time  we  were  together. 
She  rather  avoided  conversation,  and  never  ut- 
tered one  word  of  reproach  or  virulence  against 
those  by  whose  authority  she  was  imprisoned. 
She  always  retained  her  self-possession,  and 
was  never  in  the  least  degree  thrown  off  her 
guard.  H.  frequently  spent  hours  talking  with 
her,  endeavoring — as  we  were  told — to  entrap 
her  into  some  incautious  expression,  which  would 
enable  him  to  discover  where  her  son,  John 
Surratt,  was  concealed.  But  in  this — smart  de- 
tective as  he  was — she  foiled  him.  If  she  knew, 
she  locked  the  knowledge  in  her  own  heart  so 


136  THE   OLD   CAPITOL    AND   ITS   LNMATES. 

closely,  that  even  lie — that  "prince  of  detec- 
tives," as  he  called  himself, — was  unable  to  wrest 
it  from  her.  Sometimes  H.  would  say  to  her, 
after  he  had  been  absent  looking  for  Surratt, 
"Well,  madam,  we  have  at  last  captured  your 
son,  and  a  hard  time  we  had  finding  him ;  how 
did  you  ever  hit  on  so  snug  a  hiding-place." 
But  she  was  too  wary  to  be  misled  by  such  a 
statement,  and  H.  failed  to  obtain  the  twenty- 
five  thousand  dollars,  generously  offered  by  the 
Government  for  Surratt' s  apprehension. 

I  cannot  omit  relating  one  incident  in  con- 
nection with  Mrs.  Surratt.  One  day,  a  woman, 
apparently  a  prisoner,  was  brought  in.  She  cir- 
culated freely  among  the  inmates,  and  was  very 
talkative,  generally  selecting  the  assassination  as 
her  subject.  She  was  also  very  confidential,  and 
would  relate  marvellous  conversations  which  she 
had  with  H.  and  other  officials,  under  the  seal  of 
secrecy.  After  awhile  the  woman  was  taken  very 
sick,  and  kind  Mrs.  Surratt,  as  usual,  took  charge 
of  her,  and  ministered  to  her  necessities.     The 


THE    BOAED    OF   INQTJIEY.  137 

woman  recovered,  and  one  day,  in  a  moment  of 
impulse,  when  her  heart  was  filled  with  gratitude, 
she  threw  herself  on  her  knees  before  Mrs.  Sur- 
ratt  and  said,  "  Oh,  Mrs.  Surratt,  when  they 
offered  me  the  twenty-five  hundred  dollars,  to 
find  out,  I  did  not  know  what  to  do.  I  was  pen- 
niless, and — " 

"Never  mind  now,"  said  Mrs.  Surratt,  inter- 
rupting and  raising  her  from  her  knees,  "  we  will 
talk  of  something  else." 

The  woman  made  no  further  allusion  to  the 
matter,  and  shortly  after  left  the  prison. 

Let  me  now  return  to  Mr.  Windsor.  He  had 
been  summoned  to  appear  before  the  Board,  and 
on  entering  the  room  was  questioned  closely  by 
Colonel as  regarded  his  occupation,  asso- 
ciates, amusements,  etc.,  but  it  was  all  to  no  pur- 
pose. The  answers  to  the  interrogations  were 
given  boldly  and  unhesitatingly,  there  being  no- 
thing which  Mr.  "Windsor  was  either  ashamed  or 
afraid  to  acknowledge. 

From  the  multiplicity  of  questions,  and  the 


138  THE    OLD    CAPITOL    AND   ITS    INMATES. 

ingenuity  evinced  in  cross-examinations  by  the 
officers  of  Military  Justice,  it  must  have  been 
a  sore  trial  to  them,  if,  after  exhausting  every 
means  to  entrap  the  unwary,  their  efforts  were  to 
prove  unsuccessful.  But  guilty  or  innocent,  it 
was  no  light  matter  to  be  summoned  before  a 
body  of  men  whose  interest  it  was  to  convict,  not 
to  acquit.  When  one  remembered  the  large  re- 
wards offered  by  Government  to  all  who  furnished 
evidence  prejudicial  to  the  prisoner,  it  was  not 
surprising  that  witnesses  were  readily  found  to 
testify  to  anything,  however  improbable.  There- 
fore it  was,  that  a  summons  before  the  Board  was 
regarded  as  a  farewell  to  either  liberty  or  life. 

As  the  footsteps  of  the  officer  and  guard 
would  draw  near,  I  have  seen  the  pallor  of  death 
creeping  on  cheek  and  lip,  all  fearing  that  the 
next  sound  they  would  hear  would  be  their 
names  called,  to  appear  before  that  terrible  tri- 
bunal ;  and  then,  as  the  footsteps  would  recede, 
and  we  felt  that  for  a  few  hours  longer  we  were 
safe,  a  fervent  "  thank  God,"  would  burst  from 


THE  BOARD   OF   INQUIRY.  139 

each  one  of  us,  as  the  fearful  anticipations  for 
that  day  would  be  ended. 

The  idea  of  obtaining  justice  in  the  course  of 
military  trial,  was  something  beyond  the  antici- 
pations of  the  most  sanguine.  It  required  but 
slight  insight  into  the  manner  of  conducting  these 
"  so  called"  examinations  and  trials,  to  convince 
even  the  most  prejudiced  that  the  conviction  of 
each  one  who  had  the  misfortune  to  fall  into  the 
clutches  of  this  stupendous  power,  was  the  object 
to  be  attained.  Had  the  examinations  been  fair 
and  impartial,  the  innocent  would  not  have  shrunk 
from  investigation,  feeling  assured  that  the  more 
rigid  the  examination  the  better  for  him.  It  was 
the  effort  made  to  induce  the  prisoner  not  only 
to  implicate  himself,  but  others,  even  strangers 
whose  names  were  then  heard  for  the  first  time. 
It  was  things  such  as  these  that  made  one  trem- 
ble before  that  Board.  Every  sigh  of  emotion 
was  noticed,  recorded  officially,  and  used  against 
the  prisoner.  Alas  for  the  Bureau  of  Military 
Justice  ! 


140  THE    OLD   CAPITOL    AND   ITS   INMATES. 

Mr.  Windsor  was  detained  half  an  hour,  at 
the  expiration  of  which,  we  had  the  heartfelt  sat- 
isfaction of  seeing  him  return.  He  was  notified 
that  his  examination  was  not  concluded,  and  that 
he  was  again  to  appear  before  the  Board  in  a  fey/ 
days,  but  the  summons  never  came.  As  days  and 
even  weeks  passed  without  the  dreaded  call,  we 
regained  our  wonted  cheerfulness,  and  began  to 
hope,  either  that  the  matter  was  forgotten,  or  that 
in  the  press  of  business  it  had  been  indefinitely 
postponed.  Certain  it  is,  we  took  care  not  to 
inquire  regarding  the  delay,  and  were  heartily 
thankful  for  the  respite,  as  we  then  supposed  it. 

I  now  spent  every  day  with  my  friends,  re- 
turning at  night  to  my  own  apartment.  I  felt 
less  reluctance  at  leaving  Mary,  as  she  had  an- 
other companion  in  the  person  of  Mrs.  Thomas. 
I  ascertained  with  regard  to  Mary,  that  she  was 
detained  in  prison  as  a  witness,  to  be  summoned 
when  Mrs.  Surratt's  trial  came  on,  Fearino;  she 
might  be  influenced  by  that  lady,  they  had  placed 
her  in  the  lower  room,  in  order  to  prevent  any 


THE   BOARD    OF   INQUIRY.  141 

communication  between  them.  I  told  Mary  what 
I  had  heard,  and  it  gave  her  great  relief,  for  the 
poor  child  was  dreading  all  kinds  of  terrible 
things. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

Mrs.  Johnson — The  Confederate  prisoner — His  illness — Sub- 
sequent discoveries — Mrs.  Surratt's  kindness — Death  and 
burial  of  Confederate — Mrs.  M. — Another  alarm. 

Among  the  prisoners  up-stairs  was  a  Mrs. 
Johnson,  before  alluded  to.  She  was  a  tall 
woman,  with  light  hair  and  eyes,  who  said  and 
did  pretty  much  what  she  pleased.  She  was 
very  witty,  and  quick  at  repartee.  Nothing 
seemed  to  damp  her  spirits,  and  to  fear  she  was 
a  stranger.  She  had  been  in  prison  a  long  time, 
eighteen  months  in  all,  having  been  first  arrested 
for  carrying  dispatches  for  the  Confederate 
Government  to  persons  in  Canada.  After  a 
year's  imprisonment,  she  was  released,  on  con- 
dition that  she  would  not  cross  the  Potomac 
again,  to  which  she  readily  assented.  But,  alas ! 
the  spirit  of  adventure  was  not  subdued,  and  at 


MBS.    JOHNSON.  143 

the  end  of  six  months,  relinquishing  her  position 
as  nurse  in  a  Confederate  hospital,  she  wended 
her  way  back  to  Washington.  It  seems  H.  had 
been  in  Richmond  the  winter  she  was  there,  and 
she  had  been  very  kind  to  him.  He  then  told 
her  if  she  should  ever  be  in  need  and  he  could 
help  her,  to  call  upon  him,  and  he  would  do  so. 
She  went  to  Washington,  and  knowing  that  H. 
would  certainly  discover  she  was  there,  she  de- 
termined to  put  a  bold  face  on  the  matter,  and 
go  directly  to  his  house,  and  ask  for  him.  He 
happened  to  be  at  home,  and  she  was  ushered  in. 
H.  was  so  much  surprised,  that  he  raised  his 
hands  and  exclaimed, 

"  Mrs.  Johnson !  what  on  earth  brought  you 
here?" 

"  Well,  Mr.  H.,"  she  answered,  "  I  was  very 
much  in  want  of  clothes ;  I  could  get  none  in 
Richmond,  and,  as  you  told  me  if  I  needed  help 
to  apply  to  you,  I  have  come  to  ask  you  to  lend 
me  twenty-five  dollars." 

"  Why,  Mrs.  Johnson,"  replied  H..  "  were  you 


144  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

not  released  on  the  express  condition  that  you 
would  never  return?" 

"Yes;  but  you  see  I  was  compelled  to,"  she 
replied. 

"  Well,  madam,"  said  H.,  handing  her  the 
twenty-five  dollars,  "  my  advice  to  you  is  to  leave 
this  city  as  soon  as  possible." 

"  That  I  intend  to  do,"  she  answered  ;  "  but 
which  route  had  I  better  take — that  through 
lower  Maryland,  or  the  one  by  the  chain 
bridge?" 

"  The  one  by  the  chain  bridge,"  said  H. 

"  Now,  you  see,"  said  Mrs.  Johnson  in  telling 
us,  "  I  knew  H.  well  enough  to  be  sure  that  he 
would  have  his  detectives  on  the  look-out  if  I 
went  the  route  he  designated  ;  so  to  avoid  them 
I  determined  to  take  the  other.  I  did  so,  and 
fell  into  the  trap  laid  for  me  ;  for  as  H.  has  since 
told  me,  he  felt  sure  I  would  not  go  by  the  chain 
bridge  because  he  advised  it,  therefore  he  was 
ready  for  me  on  the  other  road." 

"  Have  you  been  here  ever  since  ?  "  I  asked. 


MRS.    JOHNSON.  145 

"Ever  since,  and  expect  to  be  sent  to  the 
Massachusetts  Penitentiary,  as  I  hear  most  of 
us  are  to  be,"  she  answered. 

Her  room  had  glass  in  the  windows,  and  she 
said  to  Nelson  : 

"  Mr.  Nelson,  I  do  wish  you  would  have  the 
windows  in  my  room  washed." 

"  They  are  clean  enough,"  answered  Nelson. 

"No,  they  are  not,"  she  returned;  "indeed, 
they  are  so  dirty  that  my  friends  across  the  street 
cannot  distinguish  the  signs  I  make  to  them,  and 
I  must  have  the  windows  washed  ;"  which  speech 
incensed  Nelson  very  much. 

But  on  one  occasion  she  came  near  paying 
dearly  for  her  boldness.  She  was  standing  at  a 
window  overlooking  the  yard  where  the  prison- 
ers were  exercising,  and  seeing  an  acquaintance 
among  them,  she  very  imprudently  waved  her 
handkerchief,  which  she  had  no  sooner  done,  than 
one  of  the  guards  deliberately  raised  his  piece, 
took  aim,  and  fired.  Fortunately  for  her,  he  was 
not  a  good  marksman,  and  the  bullet  struck  a 


146  THE    OLD   CAPITOL    AND   ITS    INMATES. 

little  below  the  window-sill,  and  there  it  is  to  this 
day.  She  did  not  move  from  the  window,  or 
appear  in  the  least  frightened,  but  she  was  very 
angry.  She  never  attempted  a  like  manoeuvre 
again,  to  my  knowledge.  She  was  very  fond  of 
gazing  out  of  the  front  windows  which  overlooked 
the  street.  One  morning  as  she  did  so,  a  poor 
wounded  Confederate  was  being  brought  in  ;  he 
glanced  up,  and  seeing  her  standing  there,  he 
raised  his  hands  and  cried,  "  Mother !  mother  ! " 

"  Poor  boy,"  she  replied,  "  he  takes  me  for  his 
mother.  I  am  not  your  mother,  but  I  will  try 
and  supply  her  place  to  you." 

After  a  short  time  spent  in  wondering  who 
the  young  soldier  could  be,  the  circumstance 
passed  from  our  minds.  Late  that  afternoon  H. 
appeared  at  Mrs.  Johnson's  door  and  said,  "  Mrs. 
Johnson,  your  son  is  in  the  hospital,  and  wishes 
to  see  you." 

The  poor  mother  rushed  down,  and  there, 
indeed,  was  her  child,  a  lad  of  about  seventeen, 
lying  on  one  of  the  hospital  cots.     He  had  en- 


THE    CONFEDERATE   PRISONER.  147 

tered  the  Confederate  army  at  sixteen,  and  his 
mother  had  not  seen  him  since  until  now.  He 
had  recognized  her  as  she  stood  at  the  window. 
At  first  Mrs.  Johnson  was  allowed  to  be  with  her 
son  daily ;  his  wound  was  not  a  serious  one,  and 
it  was  thought  he  would  recover,  until  typhoid 
symptoms  manifested  themselves,  after  which  he 
gradually  grew  worse.  He  constantly  craved 
food,  such  as  the  prison  did  not  afford ;  that 
which  was  brought  him  he  could  not  eat,  and 
therefore  pined  and  wasted  away — his  mother 
declaring  all  the  while  that  the  prison  authorities 
were  starving  her  child  to  death.  She  became 
so  much  excited  about  it,  that  she  Avas  forbidden 
to  go  to  the  hospital,  and  her  place  beside  the 
boy  was  taken  by  Mrs.  Surratt.  One  day  he 
insisted  that  if  he  could  have  a  small  piece  of 
chicken  and  a  cup  of  coffee  he  would  recover ; 
neither  were  to  be  had  in  the  prison,  but  the  next 
day  Mrs.  Windsor  had  a  partridge  sent  her, 
which  she  gave  to  Mrs.  Surratt  for  young  John- 
son.    It  came  too  late ;  the  poor  fellow  was  too 


148         THE    OLD    CAPITOL   AND    ITS    INMATES. 

ill  to  eat  it.  That  night  lie  died  in  Mrs.  Sur- 
ratt's  arms — his  mother  being  allowed  to  see  him 
just  at  the  last. 

He  was  buried  from  the  prison,  and  surely 
there  never  was  a  sadder  funeral.     The  body  was 

placed  in  a  common  pine  coffin,  and  taken  to  the 
lumber  room  in  the  wing  of  the  building,  before 
mentioned,  raid  laid  across  two  barrels,  in  a  room 
dimly  lighted  by  a  cellar  window.  A  few  of  us 
were  permitted  to  be  present,  and  there,  in  that 
dark  and  gloomy  place,  the  priest  read  the  burial 
service.  Young  Johnson  was  remarkably  hand- 
some, and  his  pale  face,  in  its  peaceful  beaut}r3 
surrounded  by  a  halo  of  golden  hair,  contrasted 
strikingly  with  the  hard  and  repulsive  accesso- 
ries. No  one  but  the  mother  was  allowed  to 
follow  his  remains  to  the  grave,  and  even  she 
had  a  guard  of  soldiers  with  her,  thus  denying 
the  indulgence  of  privacy  to  her  sacred  grief. 
Mrs.  Johnson  seemed  to  recover  in  a  few  days 
her  usual  spirits,  but  every  night,  before  retiring, 
she  would  fold  the  torn  and   faded  "jacket   of 


MRS.    M.  149 

gray,"  worn  by  the  youthful  soldier,  and  place  it 
tenderly  beneath  her  head. 

Mrs.  Johnson  had  been  so  long  in  the  prison, 
that  she  knew  the  history  of  all  the  females  who 
had  been  confined  there.  Among  others,  she 
gave  us  an  account  of  a  Mrs.  M.,  from  Western 
Virginia. 

It  seems  she  had  two  sons  in  the  Confed- 
erate army,  in  consequence  of  which  she  and 
her  husband  were  brought  to  the  Old  Capitol, 
their  house  in  Virginia  burnt  to  the  ground,  and 
everything  laid  waste.  She  was  soon  taken  sick 
with  typhoid  fever,  and  died  in  prison,  separated 
from  her  husband  and  friends ;  Mr.  M.  was  re- 
leased in  the  winter  and  died  from  exposure  ; 
one  son  was  killed  in  battle  ;  the  other  survived 
the  war.  On  the  surrender  of  Lee,  finding  his 
home  in  ruins,  and  his  family  dead,  intense  hatred 
took  possession  of  him,  and  he  became  a  bush- 
ranger, vowing  vengeance  against  the  enemies 
of  his  country.  Shortly  after,  he  killed  a  man 
in  Federal  uniform,  was  apprehended,  tried  by 


150  THE    OLD    CAPITOL   AND    ITS    INMATES. 

court-martial,  condemned,  and  hung;  and  thus 
passed  away  the  whole  family. 

Among  the  prisoners  in  the  yard,  was  one 
who  attracted  my  attention  and  aroused  my 
sympathy.  He  was  a  tall  man,  seemingly  middle 
aged,  dressed  in  Confederate  uniform,  very  pale 
and  thin,  like  one  in  the  last  stages  of  consump- 
tion, and  with  a  countenance  the  most  woe-be- 
gone,  I  think,  I  ever  beheld.  Be  the  day  warm 
or  cold,  he  always  had  on  a  gray  overcoat,  and 
stood  away  from  the  other  prisoners,  in  the  sun- 
shine. I  never  saw  him  walk  about,  or  exchange 
a  word  with  any  one.  After  awhile  I  missed 
him,  and  a  few  days  subsequent  was  informed 
that  there  had  been  a  death  in  the  other  part  of 
the  building.  Whether  it  was  the  Confederate  or 
not,  I  never  knew.  I  have  many  times  thought 
of  him  since,  and  wondered  what  his  past  life 
could  have  been,  to  have  left  such  traces  of  sor- 
row and  dejection. 

We  had  no  more  frights  at  night,  until  some- 
time after  Mrs.  Thomas  became  our  room-mate. 


ANOTHER   ALARM.  151 

One  night  at  half-past  two,  we  heard  a  great 
knocking  at  our  door,  and  the  guard  unlocking 
it.     I  sprang  up  and  asked, 

"Who  is  there?" 

"  An  officer,"  was  the  answer. 

"What  do  you  wish  ?  "  I  asked. 

"I  wish  to  see  Mary  L." 

"  Wait,  she  is  asleep.     I  will  awaken  her." 

"  Mary,"  said  I,  shaking  her,  "  are  you 
awake?" 

"  Yes,"  she  answered. 

"  Now,"  I  said  in  a  whisper,  "  be  on  your 
guard  as  to  what  you  say  to  this  officer." 

She  went  to  the  door  with  me,  and  the  officer 
asked, 

"  Are  you  Mary  L.  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  what  do  you  want  with  me?" 

"  Do  you  know  Mrs.  Callan?"  he  asked. 

"  No,"  answered  Mary. 

"  Are  you  sure  ?"  persisted  he  ;  "  think  a  mo- 
ment." 


152  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

"  I  tell  you  I  do  not  know  her." 

"  Where  does  she  go  to  church  ?  "  he  said. 

"  To  St. ,"  replied  Mary. 

"  Who  is  her  father  confessor?"  he  asked. 
"  Indeed,  I  do  not  know,  I  never  asked  her." 
The  man  remained  silent  a  few  moments,  as 
if  irresolute,  then  saying,  "  That  will  do,"  left, 
the  guard  locking  the  door  again.  We  were 
never  able  to  find  out  the  purport  of  that  visit ; 
it  seemed  still  more  strange  when  we  heard  that 
Mrs,  Callan's  husband  was  among  the  prison- 
ers, and  it  would  have  been  easy  to  have  ob- 
tained from  him  the  desired  information.  My 
idea  was  that  they  expected  to  ascertain  some- 
thing by  questioning  Mary,  just  aroused  from 
sleep,  hoping  to  find  her  thrown  off  her  guard. 
If  such  was  the  intention,  it  was  bafiied.  That 
was  the  last  time  our  slumbers  were  disturbed 
"  officially." 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

The  "  French  Actress  " — Prison  quarrels — Miss    Lewis — The 
servant-girls — Mrs.  Jones's  story. 

And  now  was  brought  in  a  lady,  rather  fanci- 
fully, but  fashionably,  attired,  with  a  profusion  of 
plumes  in  her  bonnet.  Her  manner  was  that  of  a 
tragedy  queen,  to  which  she  was  probably  en- 
titled, as  she  was  Madame  S.,  a  French  actress. 
She  had  been  associated  with  Booth  on  the  stage, 
consequently  was  supposed  by  the  astute  authori- 
ties to  be  an  accessory,  if  not  a  participant,  in  the 
President's  assassination — the  poor  creature  in- 
sisting all  the  time  that  it  was  a  "meestake." 
The  trouble  was,  what  to  do  with  her,  or  where 
to  put  her,  as  the  prison  was  full.  She  was 
taken  first  to  one  room,  then  to  another,  she 
positively  asserting  at  each,  that  she  "would  not 
go  in  there,"  and  that  "her  husband  was  one 
Federal  officer,  and  he  would  have  her  release''' 

7* 


151  TIIE    OLD    CAPITOL   AND   ITS    INMATES. 

The  matter  was  at  last  decided  by  accommodating 
her  in  one  of  the  office  rooms,  which  was  vacated 
for  that  purpose.  In  a  few  days  she  was  "re- 
lease"— the  only  fortunate  one ;  and  with  en- 
vious eyes,  we  watched  her  retreating  form,  as 
she  walked  calmly  and  collectedly  out  of  the  pris- 
on and  down  the  street ;  as  if  she  had  only  been 
acting  a  part  in  a  drama  on  the  stage,  instead  of 
a  tragedy  in  real  life. 

Very  few  were  released  from  prison  in  those 
sad  days,  and  if  any  were  so  happy,  their  places 
were  almost  immediately  supplied  by  others. 
One  would  suppose  that  persons  associated  as 
the  prisoners  were,  in  a  common  fate,  would 
be  on  the  best  of  terms  ;  but  such  was  not  the 
case.  Frequently  there  would  be  quarrels  in 
which  each  party  would  accuse  the  other  of  being 
a  "Federal  spy" — the  greatest  insult  which 
could  be  offered.  The  differences  were  always 
healed  after  a  while,  and  the  opponents  on  as 
amicable  a  footing  as  if  nothing  of  the  kind  had 
occurred.     Mrs.  Johnson  and  a  Miss  Lewis  av- 


MISS   LEWIS.  155 

eraged  about  three  friendly  days  in  the  week ; 
the  remainder  they  were  not  speaking  to  each 
other. 

Miss  Lewis  had  been  imprisoned  for  not 
draping  her  mother's  house  in  mourning,  on  the 
death  of  President  Lincoln.  She  said  she  had 
not  the  material  for  doing  so,  on  which  the 
authorities  kindly  furnished  it  at  Government 
expense,  and  were  so  obliging  as  to  hang  it  for 
her.  No  sooner  had  they  left  the  premises,  than 
the  black  hangings  disappeared.  Three  times 
were  they  replaced,  and  three  times  did  they 
disappear.  Miss  Lewis  not  giving  satisfactory 
reasons,  and  it  being  a  calm  day,  it  was  impossible 
to  attribute  this  disregard  of  a  nation's  grief  to  a 
freak  of  the  wind.  There  was  but  one  solution 
of  the  mystery,  and  that  was,  that  Miss  Lewis,  in 
the  absence  of  officials,  had  removed  the  ob- 
noxious black.  Such  was  in  reality  the  case, 
consequently  that  estimable  lady  was  transferred 
from  her  mother's  domicil  to  that  of  a  benignant 
Government. 


156  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS    INMATES. 

Mrs.  Lewis  immediately  employed  a  lawyer, 
and  endeavored  by  every  means  in  her  power  to 
obtain  her  daughter's  release,  but  in  vain.  The 
lawyer,  Mr.  B.,  of  Washington,  came  to  the  prison 
to  see  his  client,  and  was  informed  that  "the 
prisoners  confined  there  were  not  allowed  to 
employ  lawyers."  He  then  requested  permission 
to  see  Miss  Lewis,  but  was  again  told  that  "  none 
but  relatives  were  admitted ;"  so  the  matter 
ended,  leaving  Miss  Lewis  in  a  state  of  indig- 
nation, and  amazement  also,  as  she  had  a  faint 
recollection  of  a  document  called  the  Constitution, 
which  guarantees  certain  rights  to  the  citizen, 
however  humble.  She  had  yet  to  realize  that 
that  instrument  had  become  a  myth ;  "  military 
necessity,"  so  called,  occupied  its  place. 

Among  the  other  prisoners  on  that  floor  were 
two  servant  girls,  in  durance  vile  for  insulting  a 
lady  of  color,  or,  as  they  phrased  it,  for  "  laugh- 
ing at  her."  It  seems  this  lady  was  weeping  bit- 
terly over  the  wash-tub,  at  the  President's  de- 
cease ;  and  these  two  girls,  seeing  her  great  grief, 


THE   SERVANT   GIRLS.  157 

advised  her,  in  a  friendly  way,  to  pay  a  visit  to 
the  White  House,  where  she  would  have  an  op- 
•  portunity  of  imprinting  a  farewell  kiss  with  her 
"  alabaster  lips."  On  the  strength  of  which  the 
lady  in  question  reported  the  girls  as  wanting  in 
respect  for  the  memory  of  the  departed,  and  in 
order  to  quicken  their  blunted  sensibilities,  they 
were  conveyed  to  a  place  of  seclusion,  where 
they  would  have  ample  time  for  reflection  and 
mourning.  But  alas !  such  is  the  perversity  of 
human  nature,  these  two  misguided  girls  could 
not  take  that  view  of  the  matter,  and  spent  all 
their  time  in  carrying  on  desperate  flirtations 
with  the  soldiers  on  guard,  judging  from  the  notes 
which  came  fluttering  down  the  baluster.  They 
were  the  only  prisoners  who  seemed  to  regard 
the  whole  affair  as  a  good  joke. 

In  the  same  room  with  them  was  a  Mrs. 
Jones,  who  had  a  young  infant.  She  was  a  sor- 
rowful, pale-faced  woman,  the  wife  of  a  Con- 
federate soldier,  who  had  been  killed  in  battle. 
This  was  her  story  : 


158  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   A2TO   ITS   LYMATE3. 

"  "We  lived  near  the  town  of  Fredericksburg, 
when  the  war  began.  John  had  a  little  bit  of 
ground  that  we  worked,  and  what  with  chickens  ' 
and  eggs  that  we  sold  to  the  town  people,  we 
managed  to  get  on  well  enough.  After  awhile 
the  war  broke  out,  but  John  did  not  join  the 
army  then,  he  was  too  weakly,  being  subject  to  a 
misery  in  his  b  ack.  We  lived  at  the  place  till 
just  before  the  battle  at  Fredericksburg ;  then 
John  got  kind  of  uneasy,  and  we  moved  all  our 
things — what  we  could  move — up  to  Orange, 
where  John  was  raised,  and  where  his  folks  live. 
"We  shut  up  our  house,  giving  the  key  to  a  neigh- 
bor who  was  going  to  stay  in  those  parts.  Well, 
the  battle  was  fit,  and  after  it  was  all  over,  John 
thought  he'd  just  go  and  see  after  our  house.  I 
begged  him  not  to,  but  he  would;  and  if  you 
please  to  b'lieve  me,  the  Yankees  had  been  there 
and  took  everything  we  left,  and  then  burnt  the 
house  down ;  and  the  only  showin'  we  had  for  it, 
was  the  key.  John  he  come  back  awful  riled, 
and  said  he, '  Wife,  I  can't  stand  it  no  longer,  but 


mks.  jones's  stoky.  159 

I'm  going  to  jine.'  I  felt  mighty  bad,  but  still 
I  didn't  say  nothing,  for  I'd  not  be  the  woman  to 
stand  against  a  man's  notion  of  right;  so  I  held 
my  tongue.     '  Yes,'  says  John,  '  I'll  jine,  and  this 

day  too ;'  with  that  he  goes  where  Captain 's 

company  was  and  did  jine.  Well,  he  come  back, 
and  I  worked  hard  to  get  him  ready,  though  I 
could  hardly  work  for  the  crying;  but  John 
never  knowed  that ;  and  when  he  went  ay/ay  he 
kissed  me  and  said  I  was  a  'brave  woman,  a 
real  soldier's  wife.'  John  stayed  in  the  army 
two  years,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  got  a 
bad  wound,  and  was  discharged.  After  staying 
at  home  a  year,  and  me  nursing  him,  he  got  well, 
and  nothing  must  do  but  he  would  go  back  to  the 
army.  Sure  enough  he  went,  and  just  the  very 
last  battle  he  got  shot  through  the  head  and  was 
killed.  In  a  little  while  after  that  the  baby  was 
born,  and  I  made  up  my  mind  I  would  go  to  see 
my  mother,  who  lived  in  Maryland.  Everybody 
told  me  not  to  go,  but  you  see  I  was  too  weakly 
to  work,  and  all  the  people  about  in  those  parts 


160  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

was  poor,  and  I  couldn't  live  on  them,  so  I  just 
made  up  my  mind  that  I  would  leave.  I  had  no 
child  but  Johnanna,  and  I  thought  I  could  get 
through.  I  got  what  things  I  had  and  put  them 
in  an  old  carpet-bag,  and  went  to  Fredericks- 
burg, and  from  there  to  the  crossing-place,  where 
I  found  two  ladies  who  were  just  going  to  cross 
too.  "We  got  into  the  boat  at  night,  and  went 
over.  The  baby  was  taken  sick,  so  I  had  to  stop 
at  a  house  for  three  days.  As  I  was  about  to  go 
to  mother's,  some  soldiers  come  up,  and  finding 
I  didn't  have  no  pass,  they  took  me  up  and 
brought  me  here,  where  I  have  been  ever  since ;" 
and  the  poor  creature  began  to  weep  bitterly. 

"How  did  you  get  the  money  to  pay  your 
expenses?"  I  asked. 

"  Why,  you  see,  John  had  laid  up  a  little  be- 
fore the  war,  and  after  he  jined  the  army,  he  told 
me  if  anything  happened  to  him,  I  was  to  take 
the  money  and  go  back  to  mother,  and  I  was  not 
to  use  it  for  anything  else.  I  had  ten  dollars 
left  when  the  soldiers  took  me,  but  they  got  it 


mrs.  jones's  story.  161 

all,  and  everything  else  but  a  few  of  the  baby's 

clothes." 

"  Did  you  never  get  anything  back  again?" 

"  No,  indeed,  not  a  single  thing,  and  the  baby 
does  want  clothes  so  bad." 

"Does  your  mother  know  where  you  are  ?" 

"  I  don't  know.  I  sent  her  a  letter,  but  I 
reckon  she  never  got  it ;  if  she  had  she  would 
have  come  on,  or  sent  sister.  She  does  not  live 
near  any  town,  so  sometimes  the  letters  don't 
get  to  her  till  they  are  right  old.  When  any 
of  the  neighbors  goes  in,  if  they  thinks  of 
it,  they  asks  for  her  letters  at  the  office,  and 
then  when  they  gets  a  chance,  they  sends  them 
to  her." 

"  That  is  bad,  for  you  may  not  hear  for  a 
long  time." 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  "  and  sometimes  the  post- 
master keeps  the  letters  in  his  pocket,  and  when 
he  goes  out,  nobody  can  find  him." 

Just  then,  H.  made  his  appearance,  and  put 
an  end  to  our  conversation. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

The  "  clucks  and  chickens" — Mrs.  James — Mr.  Windsor  sum- 
moned before  the  Board — The  moh — An  alarm  of  fire — Miss 
Sallie  Jarvis. 

Theee  were  two  other  characters  among  the 
prisoners  who  deserve  notice.  One  of  them,  a 
tearful,  complaining  woman,  had  at  one  time  been 
an  acquaintance  of  Booth.  This  fact  rendering 
her  an  object  of  suspicion,  she  was  incarcerated 
in  the  Old  Capitol  until  her  complicity  with  the 
assassination  could  be  ascertained.  She  was  al- 
ways grieving,  poor  soul,  about  her  ducts  and 
her  chickens.  Every  few  moments  she  would 
exclaim,  "  My  ducks  and  my  chickens !  jes' 
hatched  out,  and  who  will  'tend  to  'em  now?  " 

The  other  character  was  a  Mrs.  James,  who 
had  formerly  been  the  cook  of  some  gentleman  in 
Washington,  in  which  capacity  she  had  made 
and  saved  money,  investing  it  in  a  market  garden, 


MRS.    JAMES.  103 

which  she  cultivated  with,  her  son's  help  until  he 
joined  the  Confederate  army. 

She  said  she  was  arrested  for  being  a  dim- 
ocrat,  but  the  accusation  against  her  was,  that  on 
hearing  the  news  of  the  President's  death  she  was 
seen  to  smile,  and  not  only  that,  but  went  home 
and  made  a  flag  out  of  her  son's  Confederate  gray 
coat,  and  hung  it  out  of  the  window.  She  says 
she  smiled  because  "  eggs  had  riz,"  and  she  had 
some  for  sale ;  and  as  to  the  flag,  she  was  only 
airing  her  son's  clothes.  Be  that  as  it  may,  she 
found  herself  safely  ensconced  in  the  Old  Capi- 
tol. Her  son  was  at  one  time  stationed  at  Ma- 
nassas, and  she  said,  "  Honey,  many's  the  time 
I've  taken  letters  from  "Washington  to  the  camp." 

"But/'  I  said,  "how did  you  manage  it?  were 
you  never  detected?" 

"Never,"  she  answered,  "but  came  mighty 
near  it  once." 

"  How  was  that  ?  " 

"  I  used  to  make  b'lieve,  you  see,  honey,  that 
I  was  a  market-woman,   and  always  carried  a 


164:  THE    OLD    CAPITOL   AND    ITS    INMATES. 

luncli-basket  on  my  arm.  Well,  I  had  to  pass 
through  the  picket  guard,  and  one  of  'em  stopped 
me  and  said, 

"  '  I  really  do  believe  that's  a  secesh ;'  on 
hearing  which  I  made  out  I  was  mighty  mad, 
and  sot  my  arms  a-kimbo,  and  looking  him  full  in 
the  face,  said :  '  Man,  does  I  look  like  a  secesh 
woman?'  and  then  I  handed  him  my  lunch 
basket,  and  he  took  some  and  let  me  pass ;  and 
honey,  if  you  b'lieve  me,  my  stockings  was  so  full 
of  letters  I  could  hardly  walk." 

Mrs.  James's  peculiar  detestation  was  the 
tearful  woman.  One  morning  she  was  weeping, 
as  usual,  over  her  ducks  and  chickens,  when  Mrs. 
James  could  stand  it  no  longer,  but  turning  sud- 
denly upon  her,  said  :  "  D —  your  ducks  and  your 
chickens,  I'm  sick  and  tired  of  hearing  'bout  'em." 

Mr.  Windsor,  who  had  been  in  the  habit  of 
exercising  with  the  other  prisoners  in  the  yard, 
on  coming  in  one  day  was  ordered  to  appear 
before  Colonel ,  who  said  : 

"  Mr.  Windsor,  I  understand  you  have  been 


MR.    WINDSOR   BEFORE   THE   BOARD.  1G5 

heard  to  use  most  disrespectful  language  in 
reference  to  President  Lincoln." 

"  You  are  mistaken,  sir,"  replied  Mr.  Windsor. 

"  But  I  tell  you,  you  did,  sir ;  the  man  who 
heard  you  repeated  it  to  me." 

"Where  is  the  man?"  said  Mr.  Windsor. 

"  That  is  of  no  consequence,"  replied  Colonel 

;  "  but  I  tell  you  what,  sir,  I  have  a  great 

mind  to  place  you  in  solitary  confinement  on 
bread  and  water,  and  if  I  li&ar  any  more  com- 
plaints about  you,  I  will.  In  the  mean  time,  I 
order  you  to  speak  to  no  one  while  exercising. 
Now,  sir,  you  can  go." 

Mr.  Windsor  was  only  too  glad  to  be  forbid- 
den intercourse  with  the  men  in  the  yard ;  for  it 
was  well  known  that  there  were  several  spies 
among  them — ivho  they  were,  it  was  impossible 
to  determine,  as  all  appeared  to  be  prisoners. 

An  incident  occurred  which  frightened  us 
very  much.  One  afternoon,  just  before  dark, 
Mrs.  Johnson  entered  my  cousin's  room  and  ex- 
claimed, "  A  mob  is  coming  down  to  attack  the 


166  THE    OLD    CAPITOL    AND   ITS   ETOIATES. 

prison."  Imagine  our  feelings  !  There  we  were, 
a  party  of  defenceless  women,  guarded  by  a  com- 
pany of  ignorant  Dutch  soldiers,  many  of  whom 
could  not  understand  English,  and  who,  for 
aught  we  knew,  were  in  league  with  the  excited 
rabble  now  threatening  the  prison.  We  waited  in 
breathless  suspense  for  more  than  an  hour, 
straining  both  eyes  and  ears  to  catch  the  first 
sight  or  sound  of  the  assailants.  Happily  for  us, 
the  danger  had  been  averted;  for,  except  the 
extra  precaution  taken  by  the  authorities,  we 
knew  nothing  more  of  the  threatened  riot.  It 
seems  the  idea  abroad  was,  that  the  accomplices 
of  Booth  had  been  captured,  and  were  confined 
in  the  Old  Capitol.  "Whether  this  was  true  or 
not,  1  could  not  ascertain ;  certain  it  was,  that 
several  prisoners  were  brought  in  at  night,  but  a 
mystery  always  appeared  to  hang  over  them. 
The  populace  of  Washington  were  in  a  very  ex- 
cited state,  and  it  was  in  order  to  obtain  posses- 
sion of  these  persons  that  they  threatened  to  at- 
tack the  prison. 


ALABM   OF   FIRE.  167 

It  had  even  become  dangerous  for  one  just 
released  to  walk  the  streets ;  indeed,  several 
persons  had  been  stoned  and  severely  injured, 
sometimes  necessitating  the  interference  and  pro- 
tection of  the  soldiers,  and  even  then  the  mob 
was  with  difficulty  restrained  from  murdering  a 
poor  man,  who  will  doubtless  carry  the  scars  of 
their  brutal  assault  to  the  grave.  We  were 
almost  afraid  to  go  near  the  windows  fronting 
the  street,  lest  something  should  be  thrown  at 
us.  It  was  a  terrible  ordeal,  which  none  can 
realize  save  those  by  whom  it  was  experienced. 
I  think  none  of  us  ever  felt  safe  after  that  fright, 
and  we  had  yet  another. 

One  night  some  time  after,  my  cousin  noticed 
that  her  room  was  unusually  bright,  and  on  look- 
ing out  of  the  window,  she  saw  the  wing  of  the 
building  occupied  by  the  men,  in  flames.  She 
heard  the  order  given,  "Secure  the  prisoners,"  but 
no  one  came  to  our  relief.  We  were  almost  frantic 
with  fright  and  the  apprehension  of  being  burned, 
but  fortunately  the  fire  was  soon  subdued,  and 


168  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

quiet  restored.  It  was  no  light  matter  to  be 
locked  up  in  a  burning  building,  with  no  exit  un- 
less permitted  by  the  guard.  Our  fear  was,  that 
they  would,  postpone  our  release  until  too  late. 
Most  of  us  were  more  alarmed  at  the  fire  than  at 
the  mob.  It  seems  strange,  yet  we  gradually  be- 
came accustomed  to  the  daily  life  we  had  to  en- 
dure ;  and.  it  was  not  until  after  we  were  released, 
that  our  over-wrought  systems  succumbed,  and. 
we  realized,  how  we  bad.  been  hitherto  sustained, 
by  artificial  excitement. 

And  now  another  prisoner  was  added  to  the 
already  large  number.  She  was  a  young  girl 
from  the  Eastern  shore  of  Maryland,  of  about 
sixteen  years  of  age.  It  seems  that  some  little 
boys,  playing  soldiers,  requested  her  to  make 
them  a  Confederate  flag,  which  she  innocently 
did,  and  the}7,  in  equal  innocence,  stuck  it  on  the 
top  of  a  hen-coop,  which  served  them  for  a  forti- 
fication. A  body  of  Baker's  valiant  detectives, 
passing,  espied  the  obnoxious  ensign,  three 
inches  by   six,  proudly   waving  in  the   breeze. 


MISS    SALLIE   JARVIS.  169 

The  opportunity  for  distinction  was  too  tempting 
to  be  resisted ;  picked  men  were  immediately  de- 
tailed to  undertake  the  hazardous  task  of  redu- 
cing the  fortress,  and  capturing — if  it  could  be 
done  without  much  loss  of  life — the  entire  gar- 
rison and  its  colors.  The  exj)eclition  was  a  "per- 
fect success,"  though  the  enemy  made  a  valiant 
defence,  worthy  of  a  better  cause.  A  prisoner — 
one  of  the  aforesaid  garrison — was  brought  before 
General  Baker,  and  liberty  promised  if  he  would 
giA^e  the  name  of  the  person  who  presented  the 
colors.  In  case  of  refusal,  the  orderly  had  ready 
a  formidable  weapon  of  birch,  with  orders  to  in- 
flict condign  punishment  on  the  obdurate  little 
rebel.  Alas !  the  influence  of  the  birch  was  not 
to  be  resisted,  and  with  many  tears  and  cries,  the 
ungallant  soldier  confessed  that  the  colors  were 
made  and  presented  by  one  Miss  "Sallie  Jarvis." 
In  a  short  time  this  young  lady's  house  was 
surrounded  by  Federal  soldiers,  all  avenue  of 
escape  being  cut  off.  After  taking  every  possible 
precaution   against   a  rescue   or  surprise,  Miss 


170  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

Jarvis  was  summoned  before  General  Baker,  and 
taxed  with  the  commission  of  the  grave  offence. 
She  did  not  attempt  to  deny  it ;  indeed,  so  har- 
dened was  she,  that  she  even  ridiculed  the  whole 
proceeding,  and  expressed  perfect  willingness  to 
visit  Washington  under  the  protection  of  the 
chivalrous  and  gallant  Baker,  assuring  him  that 
she  had  long  contemplated  a  visit  to  that  re- 
nowned city,  but  had  hitherto  been  prevented 
from  executing  her  intention,  for  want  of  a  proper 
escort,  and  therefore  gladly  availed  herself  of 
his  polite  and  pressing  invitation.  On  reaching 
the  Old  Capitol  she  expressed  her  high  apprecia- 
tion of  the  honor  conferred,  as  very  few  were 
considered  of  sufficient  importance  to  be  the 
guests  of  the  Government.  She  also  desired 
General  Baker  to  assure  the  Hon.  Secretary  of 
War,  that  she  was  neither  unmindful  nor  un- 
grateful, but  that  untoward  circumstances  alone 
prevented  a  personal  attendance  on  his  Maj — no, 
his  Honor — to  thank  him  for  his  condescension 
and  kindness. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

Rainy  Suuday— Order  given  to  "double  the  guard"— Mrs. 
Surratt  summoned — Oar  last  interview — Anna's  grief— H.'s 
account  of  Mrs.  Surratt's  treatment — Prison  scenes. 

Anothee  gloomy  Sunday  evening.  Night  was 
closing  around  the  Old  Capitol  prison,  and  we, 
the  inmates,  were  collected  together,  talking,  as 
usual,  when  we  heard  the  order  given  to  "  double 
the  guard."  Expecting  another  mob,  we  waited 
in  silence  and  dread;  but  nothing  of  the  kind 
occurred  ;  only  an  open  carriage,  in  which  were 
two  officers,  drove  up  and  stopped  at  the  prison 
door. 

The  officers  entered  the  building,  and  as  all 
continued  quiet,  we  were  soon  talking  again — 
our  fears  forgotten.  Half  an  hour  had  prob- 
ably passed,  when  Nelson  appeared  with  a  sol- 
dier and  said, 


17*2  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

"  Mrs.  Surratt,  you  are  wanted.  You  will  put 
on  your  bonnet  and  cloak,  if  you  please,  and  fol- 
low me." 

Mrs.  Surratt  arose  silently,  but  trembling  the 
while,  and  going  to  her  own  room  arrayed  her- 
self as  directed.  She  returned  in  a  few  moments, 
her  daughter  clinging  to  her,  and  begging  to  be 
allowed  to  accompany  her,  which  request  was 
unheeded.  Mrs.  Surratt  kissed  each  one  of  us, 
and  when  she  came  to  me,  she  threw  her  arms 
around  my  neck,  and  said  in  an  agitated  voice, 
"  Pray  for  me,  pray  for  me." 

Nelson  then  stepped  forward,  and  gently  dis- 
engaging the  weeping  girl  who  clung  so  tena- 
ciously to  her  mother,  took  Mrs.  Surratt  by  the 
arm  and  led  her  down  stairs,  out  of  the  door 
and  into  the  carriage.  The  two  officers  followed, 
and  they  drove  rapidly  away.  We  never  saw 
Mrs.  Surratt  again. 

For  a  while,  all  but  Anna  were  silent,  shocked 
by  the  suddenness  of  the  whole  proceeding. 
She,  poor  girl,  knelt  by  her  iron  bedstead,  wring- 


anna's  grief.  173 

ing  her  hands  and  crying,  "Oh,  mother,  mother! " 
None  of  us  thought  that  Mrs.  Surratt  had  been 
taken  away  to  remain,  and  we  sat  up  the  entire 
night,  watching  and  waiting  for  her  return — Mary 
and  myself  in  our  room,  our  faces  as  near  to  the 
window  as  we  dared,  straining  our  eyes  to  see 
the  entrance  to  the  yard,  hoping  to  catch  a 
glimpse  of  Mrs.  Surratt,  should  she  be  brought 
back  and  confined  in  another  part  of  the  prison, 
which  we  deemed  likely.  As  one  would  become 
tired,  the  other  would  take  her  place,  and  so  we 
watched  until  day  dawned. 

Night  after  night  did  I  hear  the  patter  of 
Anna  Surratt' s  little  slippered  feet,  as  she  rest- 
lessly paced  the  room  above  me.  I  fancy  I  can 
see  her  now,  her  light  hair  brushed  back  from 
her  fair  face,  her  blue  eyes  turned  towards 
heaven,  her  lips  compressed  as  if  in  pain,  and 
her  delicate  little  white  hands  clasped  tightly,  as 
she  walked  up  and  down  that  room,  hour  after 
hour,  seeming  insensible  to  fatigue,  and  speaking 
to  no  one.     Sometimes  she  would  be  quite  hys- 


174:  THE   OLD    CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

terical,  then  again  perfectly  calm,  except  for  the 
constant  walking.  We  all  thought  she  would 
lose  her  mind  if  the  strain  were  not  relieved. 

We  could  ascertain  nothing  in  regard  to  Mrs. 
Surratt.  If  Nelson  knew,  he  would  not  tell  us, 
and  H.  was  absent.  After  a  week  had  elapsed, 
he  returned,  and  we  immediately  beset  him  with 
questions.  He  told  us  that  Mrs.  Surratt  had 
been  taken  on  board  of  a  gunboat,  lying  in  front 
of  the  arsenal,  in  the  hold  of  which  she,  and  the 
other  prisoners  implicated  in  the  assassination, 
were  confined  in  perfect  darkness  and  solitude. 
Around  the  neck  of  each  prisoner  was  an  iron 
collar,  from  which  was  suspended  a  short  chain 
terminated  by  an  iron  ball,  which  rested  on  the 
floor,  so  that  the  head  was  bowed  down  and  re- 
tained in  that  position  ;  and  in  that  position  the 
prisoners  sat  day  and  night,  with  a  soldier  guard- 
ing each. 

"  What  are  they  going  to  do  with  Mrs.  Sur- 
ratt?" asked  Miss  Lewis. 

"It  is  not   decided  yet,"  he  replied;  "but 


mrs.  suekatt'b  treatment.  175 

there  is  some  talk  of  taking  the  gunboat  further 
into  the  stream  and  scuttling  her,  with  the  pris- 
oners on  board." 

That  was  the  first  intimation  we  had,  that 
Mrs.  Surratt's  life  was  endangered.  We  had 
supposed  that  she  might  be  sentenced  to  the 
penitentiary  for  life,  or  something  similar,  but 
we  did  not  realize  that  she  was  doomed  to  a 
violent  death.  She  had  endeared  herself  to  all 
by  her  kindness  and  consideration,  and  was  the 
last  person  one  would  suspect  of  a  cold-blooded 
murder.  Conscious  of  her  innocence,  she  never 
apprehended  the  awful  fate  awaiting  her.  That 
her  position  sorely  tried  her,  was  apparent  to 
all ;  but  there  was  never  the  least  appearance  of 
guilt,  and  not  for  one  moment  did  her  faith  in  an 
All-merciful  Providence  waver.  There  was  no 
pretence  about  it, — you  felt  that  the  woman  was 
deeply  and  sincerely  religious,  yet  without  any 
ostentation.  It  is  impossible  to  describe  the 
state  of  wretchedness,  into  which  this  news  threw 
Anna  Surratt.     H.  told  her  himself — none  of  us 


176  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS    INMATES. 

having  the  nerve  to  do  so.  She  was  frantic  for 
a  time,  her  constant  cry  being  "Mother!  mother!" 
I  believe  H.  would  have  withheld  this  from  her, 
had  she  not  insisted  on  hearing  the  truth.  He 
told  us  he  had  begged  the  officer  in  charge  to 
allow  him  an  interview  with  Mrs.  Surratt,  but 
was  refused,  as  she  was  not  permitted  to  see 
or  hold  communication  with  any  one,  not  even 
the  guard. 

For  a  short  time  this  occurrence  cast  a  gloom 
over  the  other  prisoners,  but  human  nature  is  the 
same  everywhere,  and  gradually  all  recovered 
their  cheerfulness,  and  Mrs.  Surratt  would  have 
been  forgotten,  for  the  time  at  least,  had  it  not 
been  for  the  poor  daughter.  I  was  often  re- 
minded of  scenes  I  had  read  of,  occurring  during 
the  Revolution  in  France.  There  was  the  same 
horror  for  a  little  while,  and  then  the  return  to 
former  gayety,  as  if  nothing  had  happened  to 
shock  and  terrify.  "We  asked  Anna  Surratt  what 
she  intended  doing  ?  She  said  she  thought  of 
entering  a  convent,  as  she  had  no  longer  a  home. 


ANNA   SUERATT.  177 

She  was  an  only  daughter,  and  had  lived  with 
her  mother,  who  was  a  widow. 

Poor  Anna  !  I  can  never  forget  her  look,  or 
the  sound  of  that  restless  footstep  in  the  room 
above  me.  The  two  haunt  me  yet,  and  will  un- 
til my  dying  day.  It  matters  little  to  that  poor 
mourner,  that  the  whole  trial  has  been  declared 
by  authority  unconstitutional  and  illegal.  That 
does  not  bring  back  the  dead,  nor  lessen  the 
grief  of  the  survivor,  nor  can  it  blot  out  the 
shame  and  disgrace  which  will  forever  attach 
itself  to  the  nation,  which  suffered  such  flagrant 
abuse  of  power  to  pass  unnoticed  and  unre- 
buked. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

The   "Contract  Preacher" — His    appearance — The  sermon — 
Mrs.  Johnson's  grief — "Little  Tad." 

Saturday  night,  H.  informed  Mrs.  Johnson 
that  there  would  be  preaching  in  the  yard  the 
following  morning ;  which  notice  was  of  course 
duly  conveyed  to  the  other  inmates.  It  was  not 
often  that  the  prison  was  thus  honored,  and  the 
.  advent  of  a  "contract  preacher"  created  quite 
an  excitement.  Let  me  say  a  few  words  in 
explanation  of  the  above  title.  It  seems  that 
"  preaching  gentlemen"  were  commissioned  by 
the  War  Department,  to  enlighten  the  heathen 
darkness  of  the  disloyal,  and  were  handsomely 
paid  for  doing  so.  One  can  well  understand, 
therefore,  that  it  was  quite  an  easy  method  of 
earning  an  honest  penny.  The  prisoners  being 
aware  of  the  above  circumstance,  often  had  mis- 


THE  "CONTRACT  PREACHER."        179 

givings  as  to  whether  the  preachers  had  "  Kev." 
prefixed  to  their  names ;  consequently  those  sent 
by  the  War  Department  had  obtained  the  sobri- 
quet of  "  contract  preachers."  These  men, 
whether  clergymen  or  not,  too  often  took  advan- 
tage of  the  opportunity,  either  to  deliver  a 
political  address  or  to  speak  against  all  that 
Southerners  held  most  dear.  Influence  for  good 
was  lost  in  consequence,  and  the  prisoners  often 
turned  away  disgusted,  who  would  have  listened 
attentively  had  the  discourse  been  indeed  Chris- 
tian, as  it  should  have  been. 

Sunday  morning  dawned  bright  and  beautiful ; 
the  men  were  collected  in  the  yard  and  the  wo- 
men at  the  windows  overlooking  all,  where  they 
could  both  see  and  hear.  At  twelve,  H.  ap- 
peared, conducting  the  preacher.  He  was  short 
and  stout,  with  a  large  white  neckcloth,  which 
seemed  inclined  to  choke  him' — suggesting  at 
once  to  the  beholder,  that  it  was  an  article  of 
dress  not  often  worn  by  this  gentleman,  but 
adopted  for  the  occasion.    His  hair  was  parted 


180  THE   OLD   CAPITOL    AND   ITS   INMATES. 

with  scrupulous  exactness,  and  fell  rather  long 
on  the  shoulders;  it  was  of  that  nondescript 
color — a  cross  between  molasses  candy  and  mud. 
His  eyes  were  large  and  glassy,  the  color  not 
distinguishable  at  the  window,  but  often  turned 
up  so  as  to  exhibit  the  whites  to  an  alarming 
degree.  His  mouth  and  nose  were  large,  his 
face  smoothly  shaven,  and  his  hands  were  fat  and 
ungainly-looking;  occasionally  he  would  wipe 
both  face  and  hands  on  a  yellow  silk  handker- 
chief. 

A  chair  and  table  had  been  arranged  for 
him  in  the  yard,  but  being  a  short  man,  he  pre- 
ferred the  top  of  the  wood-pile,  which  was  a  few 
feet  higher,  and  up  which  he  climbed  with  sur- 
prising agility,  considering  he  was  supposed  to  be 
unused  to  such  feats.  On  the  table  below  him, 
he  had  placed  quite  a  large  package,  containing, 
as  we  afterwards  saw,  tracts  and  hymns  for  dis- 
tribution. I  shall  omit  the  prayer  with  which 
he  began  the  service,  only  noticing  that  it  savored 
strongly  of  fanaticism,  and  was  not   "devoutly 


THE   SERMON.  181 

listened  to,"  as  the  newspapers  in  describing 
such  scenes  generally  state.  Then  a  hymn  was 
sung,  to  the  tune  of  "Old  Hundred,"  the  preacher 
reading  two  lines  at  a  time.  Several  of  the 
prisoners  had  fine  voices,  and  sung  well.  That 
being  ended,  the  "Rev."  gentleman  now  pre- 
pared himself  for  the  sermon,  by  passing  the 
yellow  handkerchief  several  times  across  his  face. 
Then  clearing  his  throat,  in  a  nasal  twang  he 
began  the  following,  which  is  as  near  the  original 
as  I  can  remember  : 

"  My  friends,  I  am  permitted  by  a  kind  and 
indulgent  Government  to  address  you  this  morn- 
ing. I  need  hardly  say  that  I  gladly  avail  my- 
self of  the  golden  opportunity,  hoping  that  a  word 
of  mine  may  find  a  lodgement  in  the  breast  of 
some  poor  fellow-sinner,  and  bring  forth  abun- 
dant fruit.  At  this  time  of  a  nation's  grief, 
surely  there  is  no  subject  more  appropriate  than 
that  which  the  occasion  suggests,  namely,  re- 
flections on  the  life  of  our  illustrious  and  mar- 
tyred   President."      At  this    juncture    he    had 


182  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

recourse  to  his  handkerchief,  and  Mrs.  Johnson, 
taking  out  hers,  wiped  her  eyes  as  if  in  great 
distress,  though  the  expression  of  her  counte- 
nance denoted  anything  but  grief.  "  I  may  be 
excused,  therefore,"  he  continued,  "  for  not  taking 
a  text,  and  preaching  a  regular  discourse  ;  but  I 
wish  for  a  few  moments  to  call  your  attention  to 
the  parallel  which  exists  between  our  illustrious 
departed  and  Moses,  the  chosen  leader  of  the 
children  of  Israel.  You  have  all,  doubtless,  my 
friends,  read  in  the  Bible  the  history  of  the 
Israelites ;  therefore  I  will  give  but  a  few  of  the 
leading  points,  leaving  you  to  fill  up  the  picture 
at  your  leisure.  Moses  was  the  child  of  parents 
in  nothing  remarkable,  as  far  as  we  know ;  and  in 
this  Abraham  Lincoln  resembled  him,  he  too 
being  the  son  of  respectable  but  plain  people. 
Moses  was  adopted  by  the  daughter  of  the  King 
of  Egypt,  and  raised  to  a  great  station.  Our 
Abraham  was  also  adopted  by  the  people  of  this 
enlightened  country,  and  elevated  to  a  high 
dignity.     Now  you  remember,   the  Israelites — 


THE   SERMON.  183 

Moses'  brethren — were  also  in  bondage  to  this 
very  king  of  Egypt,  although  at  that  time  the 
joke  of  slavery  was  comparatively  light.  But  on 
the  death  of  Pharaoh,  another  king  arose  who 
ground  the  Israelites  to  the  earth.  Moses  seeing 
this,  was  continually  meditating  and  forming 
plans  for  their  relief  and  rescue ;  in  short,  he 
thought  of  nothing  else  day  or  night.  At  length 
the  time  arrived,  my  brethren,  and  Moses,  the 
chosen  leader,  although  at  first  rejected  by  the 
Israelites,  as  Abraham  Lincoln  was  by  the  rebel- 
lious Southern  people,  yet  in  the  end,  succeeded 
in  carrying  them  through  the  wilderness  to  the 
fair  land  of  Canaan.  Now,  my  friends,  the  points 
to  which  I  wish  to  call  your  especial  attention 
are  the  following :  In  the  southern  part  of  this 
great  country  of  ours,  were  millions  of  men, 
women,  and  children — in  fact,  a  nation — groan- 
ing under  a  worse  servitude  than  that  which 
afflicted  the  children  of  Israel.  This  slavery, 
tolerable  as  it  might  have  been  at  first,  increased 
in  severity  as  time  rolled  on,  and  other  masters 


184  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

took  the  place  of  those  who  had  passed  away. 
Abraham  Lincoln,  viewing  these  things  in  his  far 
off  northern  home,  aspired  to  lead  this  enslaved 
nation  to  freedom  and  greatness.  One  had 
already  attempted  the  task,  and  fallen  a  victim 
to  Southern  intolerance.  I  allude  to  the  martyr, 
'John  Brown.'  " 

At  this  mention,  Mrs.  Johnson  sobbed  vio- 
lently at  the  window. 

"John  Brown  endeavored  to  ameliorate  the 
slaves'  condition,  and  failed ;  but  not  so,  my 
brethren,  Abraham  Lincoln ;  lie  saw,  indeed,  that 
there  was  but  one  way  to  accomplish  the  holy 
purpose,  and  that  was  by  overthrowing  the  slave 
oligarchy.  And  did  he  hesitate,  because  in  so 
doing  a  great,  powerful,  and  proud  people  would 
be  humiliated  to  the  dust?  Indeed,  no.  Did 
Moses  hesitate  to  inflict  punishment  on  the 
hardened  Egyptians  when  they  refused  to 
hearken  unto  him?  I  trow  not,  my  brethren. 
As  the  Israelites  marched  from  the  land  of 
Egypt,  laden  with  the  spoils  of  their  masters,  so 


THE    SEEM0N.  185 

did  the  African  race  emerge  from  the  darkness 
and  degradation  of  Southern  slavery.  But 
Moses,  my  brethren,  was  not  permitted  to  enter 
the  land  of  Canaan,  toward  which  he  was  leading 
the  chosen  people  ;  he  did  but  view  it  from  afar. 
So  with  Abraham  Lincoln ;  he  also  beheld  but 
the  glimmering  glory  of  the  promised  land. 
Moses,  we  are  told,  died  the  ordinary  death  of 
mortals ;  but  Abraham  Lincoln,  alas !  fell  by  an 
assassin's  hand." 

Here  he  wiped  his  face  with  the  yellow 
handkerchief,  and  Mrs.  Johnson  was  apparently 
almost  overcome  with  grief. 

"  And  let  us  ask,  whose  was  the  arm  raised  to 
strike  down  the  glorious  patriot  and  statesman  ? 
"We  answer,  the  arm  and  hand  of  a  Southerner 
dealt  the  murderous  blow.  And  lo !  the  nation, 
but  a  short  time  since  so  jubilant,  is  plunged  into 
depths  of  woe.  A  family  also  is  rendered  father- 
less !  a  wife,  a  widow  !  I  would  now,  in  conclu- 
sion, say  to  every  Southern  man  and  woman" 
[looking  up  at  the  windows]  "before  me,  that  on 


186  THE   OLD   CAPITOL    AND   ITS   INMATES. 

the  head  of  each,  mark  me,  each  one  of  you,  rests 
the  blood  of  the  martyr  Abraham.  Your  very 
presence  in  this  prison  proclaims  your  guilt. 
Wherefore  are  you  here?  Because  you  have 
aided  and  abetted  the  rebellion,  and  every  rebel, 
therefore,  of  either  sex,  is  a  murderer.  I  call 
upon  you  all,  therefore,  to  repent ;  yea,  in  sack- 
cloth and  ashes ;  then,  only,  may  you  hope  to 
meet  him,  the  good  and  great  man,  who  has  gone 
to  his  just  reward.     Let  us  pray." 

Then  followed  a  prayer  for  the  hardened 
rebels,  during  which,  most  of  those  obdurate 
sinners  walked  off.     After  the  prayer,  he  said, 

"  I  have  a  little  piece  of  poetry,  a  favorite 
hymn,  which  I  desire  to  have  sung.  Any  one 
wishing  to  retain  the  poetry,  can  do  so.  All 
those  who  can  join  in  the  singing,  will  please 
come  forward  and  receive  a  copy  of  the  verses. 
I  have  selected  this  piece  as  being  most  suited 
to  the  occasion,  and  expressing,  in  beautiful  sim- 
plicity, the  mourning  at  the  White  House,  sym- 
bolic of  a  nation's  grief.     We  will  sing  it  to  the 


LITTLE   TAD.  187 

tune  of  '  Old  Antwerp,' — familiar,  I  suppose,  to 
most  of  you." 

Many  of  the  men  now  approached  the  table, 
and  received  a  copy  of  the  verses,  some  being 

* 

also  sent  to  the  prisoners  at  the  windows.  Con- 
trary to  the  preacher's  expectation,  "  Old  Ant- 
werp" did  not  appear  to  be  a  familiar  tune,  but 
that  did  not  prevent  tlie  prisoners  from  singing, 
which  they  did  with  zest,  dwelling  particularly 
long  on  the  last  word  of  each  verse.  The  music, 
if  not  soul  inspiring,  was  at  least  noisy,  and  in 
this  bore  a  striking  resemblance  to  the  fashiona- 
ble style  of  the  present  day.  Mrs.  Johnson  at- 
tempted to  sing,  but  the  touching  lines  affected 
her  too  much.  After  vainly  attempting  the  first 
verse,  she  desisted,  sobbing  violently  whenever 
the  refrain,  "Poor  little  Tad,"  was  sung.  I  give 
the  words  of  the  selected  piece  : 

"POOR   LITTLE    TAD." 
'•'  Behold,  with  grief  lie  hangs  his  head ; 
'Tis  vain  to  count  the  tears  he  's  shed, 
As  bending  o'er  his  father's  bed, 

■      Poor  little  Tad ! 


188  THE    OLD    CAPITOL    AND    ITS    INMATES. 

"  Hark  !   what  words  lie  utters  low ! 
'  Father,  O  father !   I  miss  you  so, 
But  now  your  child  no  more  you'll  know.' 
Poor  little  Tad! 

"  'A  nation  's  mourning  too  with  me, 
And  white  and  black  all  crowd  to  see 
Thy  dear  remains.    Alas,  for  me.' 

Poor  little  Tad! 

"  '  Oh,  when  those  rebels  come  to  die, 
May  they  have  no  such  mourners  nigh, 
And  may  they  in  the  ditches  lie.' 

Poor  little  Tad. 

"  '  Oh,  may  we  meet  again  in  heaven, 
For  which  you  have  so  bravely  striven, 
And  wear  the  crowns  which  there  are  given.' 
Poor  little  Tad." 


CHAPTEE    XVII. 

Mr.  H.'s  commentary — Mrs.  Johnson's  request — Her  interview 
with  the  preacher — She  takes  the  oath — Father  W. 

The  singing  concluded  the  services,  and  the 
preacher,  having  distributed  his  bundle  of  tracts, 
was  about  to  depart,  when  H.  arose  and  said, 

"My  friends,  before  the  reverend  preacher 
leaves  us,  I  wish  to  add  a  few  words,  supplement- 
ary to  his  well-timed  remarks.  In  drawing  the 
parallel  between  Moses  and  the  illustrious  Abra- 
ham Lincoln,  he  failed  to  notice  some  points,  one 
of  which  was,  that  Moses  refused  to  be  called 
the  son  of  Pharaoh's  daughter.  Also,  that  Moses 
proved  to  the  Israelites  by  many  miracles,  that 
he  was  sent  to  lead  them,  therefore  there  could 
be  no  mistake  in  the  matter.  With  regard  to 
'  John  Brown,'  if  I  am  not  very  much  mistaken, 
the  Governor  of   Pennsylvania  offered  his  ser- 


190  THE   OLD   CAPITOL    AND   ITS   INMATES. 

vices  to  assist  in  capturing  and  hanging  that 
man  of  '  blessed  memory.'  " 

At  this  point  the  prisoners  claj)ped  their 
hands,  and  cried,  "  Good !  Go  on!"    H.  resumed: 

"  The  Israelites,  the  reverend  preacher  told 
us,  left  Egypt  laden  with  spoils,  and  in  this,  the 
parallel  is  perfect,  as  a  visit  to  the  North  will 
convince  any  one.  The  Israelites  entered  their 
land,  but  the  Africans  know  theirs  only  as 
the  promised, — and  that  it  is  likely  to  be,  for 
some  time  to  come,  in  spite  of  citizenship,  etc. ; 
for  you  cannot  make  a  people  a  great  nation 
unless  they  are  fit  for  it.  Now,  my  friends,  let 
me  say,  in  conclusion,  I  hope  you  all  will  repent, 
as  directed  by  the  reverend  preacher;  to  assist 
which  repentance,  I  advise  you  to  read  atten- 
tively the  tracts  he  has  so  kindly  given,  espe- 
cially this  one,"  (taking  it  from  the  table,) 
"  entitled,  '  Korah,  Dathan,  and  Abiram ;  or, 
The  Sin  of  Rebellion;'  this  little  book  is  illus- 
trated throughout  with  large  Roman  capitals, 
thereby  testifying  to  the  magnitude  of  the  sin  set 


MES.    JOHNSON   AND   THE   PEEACHER.  191 

forth.  Here  is  another  tract  also,  'The  true 
story  of  James  Conner,  the  repentant  Rebel ;' 
and  for  those  of  a  poetical  turn,  here  is  a  nice 
little  book,  '  Union  Songster.'  The  taste  of  each 
has  been  regarded  in  the  selection;  and,  sir," 
turning  to  the  preacher,  "  allow  me  to  thank  you 
in  the  name  of  these  poor  misguided  prisoners, 
for  your  appropriate  discourse,  and  I  doubt  not, 
sir,  but  that  to-morrow  I  shall  have  as  much  as 
I  can  attend  to,  administering  the  oath  of  alle- 
giance to  these  poor  sinners." 

H.  had  finished,  and  was  about  to  conduct 
the  preacher  out,  when  one  of  the  guards  stepped 
up  and  said, 

"  Mr.  H.,  Mrs.  Johnson  says,  can  she  come 
down  and  speak  to  the  preacher?" 

"  Certainly,"  said  H. 

In  a  few  moments,  Mrs.  Johnson  appealed, 
handkerchief  to  her  eyes,  and  approaching  the 
preacher,  said  in  a  tremulous  voice, 

"  Mr.  Preacher,  allow  me  to  take  your  hand," 
— he  held  it  out — "  and  thank  you  for  your  ser- 


192  TIIE   OLD   CAPITOL    AND   ITS   INMATES. 

irton.  Sir,  before  jour  visit  here  this  morning,  I 
was  a  most  incorrigible  rebel,  as  Mr.  H.  can  tes- 
tify." H.  nodded  and  said  "  That's  so."  "  But 
while  listening  to  your  discourse,  my  hardness  of 
heart  disappeared  by  degrees,  and  when  you 
called  us  ■murderers,  oh  ! " — raising  the  handker- 
chief to  her  eyes — "I  could  with  difficulty  control 
myself;  and  then,  too,  those  beautiful  touching 
little  verses  went  to  my  very  heart ;  and  my  in- 
tention is  to  have  them  framed,  and  hung  in  my 
room  where  I  can  always  behold  them.  Mr. 
Preacher,  I  am  now  a  loyal  woman,  and  how 
thankful  am  I,  that  I  have  been  so  long  confined 
in  this  gloomy  prison,  since  it  has  been  the 
means  of  my  hearing  your  sermon,  by  which  my 
eyes  have  been  opened,  and  I  now  dee  how  great 
and  heinous  my  offence  has  been.  AirJ  now,  Mr. 
H.,"  turning  to  him,  "  I  desire  you  to  administer 
to  me  the  oath  of  allegiance." 

"That  I  cannot  do  to-day,  Mj.-v.  Johnson,"  re- 
plied H.,  "  you  know  it  is  Sunday,  and  Uviefore 
unlawful." 


MRS.    JOHNSON   AND   THE   PREACHER.  193 

"  But,  Mr.  H.,"  persisted  Mrs.  Johnson,  "  I 
might  die  to-night,  and  if  so  I  desire  to  depart  a 
loyal  citizen  of  the  United  States." 

"  I  am  very  sorry,  madam,  but  it  cannot  be 
done  to-day,"  replied  H. 

"Very  well,  then,  I'll  swear  myself,"  and  rais- 
ing her  right  hand,  she  did  swear  herself,  but  the 
oath  of  allegiance  was  not  probably  the  one  H. 
would  have  administered  the  following  day, 
being  nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  parody  of 
the  original. 

While  this  scene  was  enacting,  the  poor  be- 
wildered preacher  was  gazing  in  perplexity,  first 
at  H.  and  then  at  Mrs.  Johnson,  both  of  whom 
were  perfectly  grave.  The  men  had  collected  in 
a  semicircle  around  the  group,  and  were  enjoy- 
ing the  fun  intensely.  After  Mrs.  Johnson  had 
taken  her  oath,  she  again  shook  hands  with  the 
preacher,  and  ascended  the  stairs.  H.  now  con- 
ducted him  out  of  the  prison,  and  we  saw  him 
no  more.  It  is  not  at  all  likely  that  he  applied 
for  permission  to  preach  there  again,  nor  did  we 


194:  THE   OLD   CAPITOL    AND   ITS   IN]VIATES. 

ever  have  another  "  contract  preacher."  Per- 
haps he  related  his  experience  to  the  brethren  of 
the  same  cloth,  and  they  also  were  deterred  from 
entering  such  an  awful  place.  Mrs.  Johnson,  on 
arriving  up-stairs,  proceeded  to  burlesque  the 
whole  affair,  which  she  did  to  perfection,  being 
a  capital  mimic  ;  and  so  ended  our  Sunday's  en- 
tertainment. 

No  clergyman  ever  approached  the  prison 
until  some  time  after,  when  the  Reverend  Father 
W.  was  admitted.  Poor  Mrs.  Surratt  had  been 
so  anxious  to  see  a  priest,  but  her  request  was 
always  denied ;  now  that  she  was  taken  away  the 
restriction  was  removed,  and  this  gentleman,  a 
kind,  truly  Catholic  clergyman,  permitted,  this 
once  only,  an  interview  with  the  prisoners.  I 
hope  he  is  aware  of  the  consolation  his  visit 
afforded  to  the  forlorn  inmates  of  that  gloomy 
building.  Let  me  say,  that  each  and  all  remember 
him  with  gratitude,  and  appreciate  the  Christian 
courage  he  manifested,  in  daring  to  request  ad- 
mission to  those,  whom  to  befriend  was  to  render 


FATHER   W.  195 

one's  self  suspected.  "With  the  exception  of  this 
gentleman,  there  was  but  one  other  in  that  great 
city  who  solicited  the  favor  of  visiting  the  prison. 
Surely  they  had  forgotten  a  certain  text  in  the 
gospel,  or  else  had  not  read  it  aright.  For  the 
time  being  we  were  outcasts,  and  felt  it ;  even 
after  we  were  released  we  were  the  objects  of 
suspicion  and  distrust. 


CHAPTEE   XVIII. 

An  attempted  escape — The  discovery — "  Old"  Nelson — Novel 
use  of  Quartermaster's  stores — The  broken  door. 

One  morning  Mrs.  Johnson  entered  nry 
cousin's  room,  and  asked  her  if  she  had  a  spare 
chair  which  she  could  lend  her.  My  cousin  had 
but  one  article  of  the  kind,  and  that  she  required. 
I,  seeing  there  was  some  mischief  intended, 
said: 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  it  ? ': 

"I  am  trying  to  effect  the  escape  of  Mr. 
,"  naming  a  young  Confederate  who  visit- 
ed her. 

"  Oh,"  said  I,  "  please  do  not  attempt  it ;  you 
will  certainly  be  discovered,  and  severely  pun- 
ished." 

"  Indeed,  not  I,"  she  answered  ;  "  this  is  what 
I  intend  to  do.     I  have  ascertained  that  the  attic 


ATTEMPTED   ESCAPE.  197 

room  in  H.'s  house,  adjoining  the  one  in  this,  is 
unoccupied,  and  my  plan  is  to  break  a  hole 
through  the  lath  and  plaster  partition,  so  that 

Mr.  can   creep   through  into  H.'s  house. 

After  he  is  there,  he  can  either  get  on  the  roof, 
and  attempt  to  escape  by  the  lightning-rod,  or 
else  he  can  go  out  through  the  front  door,  which 
I  deem  the  better  plan.  I  shall  make  the  hole 
while  H.  is  absent,  so  there  will  be  less  chance 
of  failure.  See  here,"  said  she,  diving  into  her 
pocket,  "  I  already  have  the  hammer." 

"  How  did  you  obtain  it  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Oh,  I  told  old  Nelson  that  I  wanted  to  nail 
down  a  loose  plank  in  my  floor,  and  he  brought 
me  this." 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  a  chair  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  reach  the  exact  place  where  I  wish 
to  hammer,  so  I  will  have  to  put  a  chair  on  a 
table.  I  have  taken  the  table  up,  but  was  afraid 
the  chair  might  be  missed." 

"  Now,"  said  I,  "  if  you  will  take  my  advice, 
you  will  not  attempt  it;  you  will  certainly  be  dis- 


19S  THE   OLD   CATITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

covered,  and  both  yourself  and  the  young  man 
made  to  suffer." 

"  There  is  no  one  sharp  enough  to  suspect 
anything  but  H.,  and  he  is  away,"  she  an- 
swered. 

"But  likely  to  return,"  said  I,  "at  any  mo- 
ment." 

"  Will  you  keep  watch,  while  I  go  up  and 
hammer?"  she  asked. 

"  No,  I  cannot  do  that,  but  should  I  happen 
to  hear  any  one  coming,  I  will  call  you." 

"That  is  all  I  ask,"  she  returned,  and  wended 
her  way  up  the  steps,  into  the  room  overhead, 
where  in  a  few  moments  we  heard  her  hammer- 
ing, and  the  plaster  falling  on  the  floor  with  a 
dull  sound.  She  had  not  been  at  work  more  than 
twenty  minutes,  when  I  heard  H.'s  voice  in  the 
passage  below ;  fortunately  she  heard  it  also,  and 
immediately  descended  the  stairs,  hammer  in 
hand.  She  entered  her  room,  took  up  her  sew- 
ing, and  worked  most  vigorously.  H.  went  the 
rounds  as  usual,  but  on  coming  to  Mrs.  John- 


THE  DISCOVERY.  199 

son's  room  lie  took  his  seat,  and  entered  into 
conversation.  Presently  his  eye  lighted  on  the 
hammer. 

"How  came  this  here?"  asked  he,  stooping  to 
pick  it  up. 

"  I  sent  for  it  to  nail  a  loose  plank,"  replied 
Mrs.  Johnson. 

H.  made  no  answer,  but  examined  the  ham- 
mer attentively,  and  finding  a  little  piece  of  plas- 
tering sticking  on  the  end,  he  just  looked  at  Mrs. 
Johnson,  as  if  to  say,  "  I've  found  you  out,"  and 
put  the  hammer  into  his  coat  pocket.  He  then 
arose  and  peered  about  her  room,  but  seeing  no- 
thing suspicious  there,  he  ascended  to  the  story 
above,  and  there  did  see.  He  brought  down  the 
table  and  chair,  and  returning  to  Mrs.  Johnson's 
room,  stood  before  her  for  a  moment  in  silence ; 
then  exclaimed, 

"  Well,  you  are  the  d— 1." 
"  Thank  you  for  the   compliment,"  she   re- 
plied, by  no  means  disconcerted,  and  continuing 
her  sewing,  which  she  had  not  relinquished. 


200  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND    ITS    INMATES. 

He  then  left  the  prison,  and  Mrs.  Johnson 
came  back  to  us,  and  said, 

"  I  am  so  afraid  he  will  find  out  who  it  was 

I  was  trying  to  assist,  and  Mr. has  most 

valuable  papers  in  his  boots,  which  he  is  so  anx- 
ious to  take  South." 

I  may  here  remark,  that  I  have  yet  to  see  the 
Confederate  prisoner,  either  officer  or  private, 
who  did  not  have  papers  of  most  vital  importance 
concealed  somewhere,  which  were  always  dis- 
covered and  taken  from  him.     I  may  therefore 

be  allowed  to  doubt  the  fact  of  Mr. having 

any  documents  at  all — he  had  been  a  prisoner  for 
nearly  a  year,  and  had  no  way  of  communicating 
with  any  one  outside. 

By  some  means,  known  only  to  detectives,  H. 

did  discover  the  whole  plot,  and  poor  Mr. , 

who  had  proudly  hoped  to  have  gone  on  his  way 
rejoicing  that  night,  found  himself,  instead,  lodged 
in  a  remote  station-house,  where  he  was  detained 
for  some  days,  and  fed  on  bread  and  water. 
After  he  had  been  sufficiently  punished,  H.  visited 


OLD   NELSON.  201 

him,  and  handed  him  a  pardon,  dated  the  very 
day  of  his  attempted  escape,  and  which  H.  in- 
tended giving  him  at  the  time  he  had  discov- 
ered the  plot.  No  punishment  was  inflicted  on 
Mrs.  Johnson. 

There  was  a  portion  of  the  plastering  beside 
her  fireplace  which  had  been  accidentally 
knocked  away.  H.  sent  one  of  the  men  about 
the  prison  to  repair  it.  His  name  was  Nelson, 
and  to  distinguish  him  from  the  other  Nelson 
Mrs.  Johnson  always  called  him  "  old." 

"  What  did  you  do  before  you  came  to  this 
prison?  "  asked  Mrs.  Johnson  of  him  one  day. 

"  I  was  a  butcher,"  he  replied. 

"So  I  judged  from  your  manner  of  plaster- 
ing," she  answered.  "  "Why  didn't  you  stick  to 
your  trade?" 

"I  had  rather  come  here,"  he  replied. 

"  Well,  you  will  have  to  go  back  to  it  soon,  for 
this  prison  is  going  to  be  broken  up.  The  Gov- 
ernment is  afraid  we  ladies  will  suffer  in  health 
this  summer,  and  is  therefore  going  to  send  us  to 

9* 


202  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   ESTIMATES. 

Massachusetts,  where  the  climate  is  cooler,  pay- 
ing all  expenses." 

"That  may  be,"  said  Mrs.  James;  "but 
honey,  you  may  'pend  upon  it,  there's  mighty 
little  hard  labor  the  Massachusetts  penitentiary 
will  get  out  of  me." 

"  Now,  see  here,  old  Nelson,"  said  Mrs.  John- 
son, "you  have  not  plastered  this  close ;  if  it  is 
not  done  better,  I'll  escape  as  sure  as  you  are 
born,  and  then  you  will  certainly  be  hung,"  and 
she  made  the  man  return  and  go  all  over  the 
place  again,  which  he  did  very  reluctantly. 

The  following  day  Mrs.  Johnson  said  to  me, 

"  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  I  cannot  bear  to  see 
that  poor  little  baby  suffering  so  for  clothes,  and 
I  intend  to  make  her  some." 

"Where  are  you  going  to  get  the  material?" 
I  asked. 

"  Wait  and  you  will  soon  see."  She  left  me, 
and  going  up-stairs,  in  a  short  time  returned  with 
her  arms  full  of  white  cotton,  pieces  of  ticking, 
flannel,  and  calico. 


quartermaster's  stokes.  203 

"Where  did  you  get  them?"  I  asked. 

"Out  of  the  Quartermaster's  stores,"  she 
replied. 

"  But  you  are  not  going  to  cut  them  up  ? "  I 
inquired. 

"Indeed  I  am,  then;"  and  sure  enough  she 
did,  and  being  very  expert  with  her  needle,  soon 
manufactured  quite  a  number  of  articles,  which 
she  carried  to  Mrs.  Jones,  for  the  baby.  The 
poor  mother's  eyes  sparkled  when  she  saw  the 
clothing,  and  she  exclaimed, 

"  Oh,  Mrs.  Johnson,  where  did  you  get  these 
things  from?" 

"  I  found  them  among  some  articles  I  had 
packed  away,"  answered  Mrs.  Johnson,  nodding 
at  us  not  to  betray  her.  In  a  short  time  the 
child  was  nicely  dressed  at  Government  expense. 
Nor  did  Mrs.  Johnson's  kindness  stop  here,  but 
having  discovered  a  pile  of  new  blankets  in  the 
store,  she  proceeded  to  change  all  the  old  ones 
on  the  beds,  replacing  them  with  new.  Every 
day  or  two  she  would  make  a  visit  to  the  Quar- 


204:  THE   OLD    CAPITOL   AND    ITS    INMATES. 

termaster's  store,  and  return  with  some  article 
which  she  did  not  hesitate  to  appropriate  to  her 
own  use,  or  that  of  any  one  who  needed  it,  cut- 
ting the  material  to  suit.  If  H.  knew  of  these 
transactions  he  kept  silent,  and  that  he  did  know, 
at  least  in  part,  I  could  hardly  doubt.  Perhaps 
he  thought  it  was  better  tJtat,  than  planning 
escapes. 

The  knob  on  Mrs.  Johnson's  door  had  by 
some  means  become  out  of  order,  so  that  it 
was  impossible  to  keep  the  door  shut.  She  had 
several  times  requested  that  the  lock  might  be 
mended,  but  no  notice  was  taken  of  the  matter. 
One  day,  being  out  of  patience,  she  said,  "  I  will 
make  them  fix  this  door  yet,"  and  entering  her 
room  I  heard  her  shut  the  door  and  turn  the  key. 
In  a  few  moments  H.  made  his  appearance  in  the 
passage  and  tried  to  open  the  door.    He  knocked, 

but  there  was  no  answer — Mrs.  Johnson  singing 
Dixie,  as  if  unconscious  of  H.'s  summons. 

"  Open  the  door,"  cried  H.  No  reply  from 
within,   save  Dixie,   which   waxed    louder    and 


THE    BKOKKN    DOOR.  205 

louder  as  H.'s  knocks,  and  at  length  kicks,  in- 
creased in  violence. 

"  D —  it,  why  don't  you  open  the  door?"  and 
accompanying  the  interrogation  with  a  kick,  the 
door  flew  open.  Mrs.  Johnson  merely  glanced 
over  her  shoulder  at  the  intruder,  and  continued 
her  work,  still  singing  Dixie.  H.  strode  into  the 
room,  and  standing  before  Mrs.  Johnson,  asked, 
"  Why  did  you  not  open  the  door?" 

"  Because  I  was  busy." 

"  "What  made  you  lock  it  ?  " 

"  Because  it  would  not  stay  shut ;  I  have 
asked  several  times  to  have  the  lock  fixed,  but 
could  not  get  it  done.  As  I  was  tired  of  having 
the  cold  wind  blowing  on  me,  I  locked  the  door. 
But  was  that  you  knocking  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  you  know  it  was." 

"  Well,  I  thought  I  heard  some  one." 

After  that  the  door  was  mended,  much  to 
Mrs.  Johnson's  satisfaction. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

Mrs.  Johnson  a  "  loyal  citizen"  at  last — Prison  espionage — My 
illness — and  summons — My  fears — Last  interview  with  the 
Judge  Advocate — My  release — The  kind-hearted  detective — 
My  wanderings — Safe. 

And  now  the  female  prisoners,  on  taking  the 
oath  of  allegiance,  were  allowed  to  depart,  with 
the  exception  of  Mrs.  Johnson,  my  cousins,  and 
myself.  Mary  L.  and  Anna  Surratt  were  also 
detained  as  witnesses  on  the  trial,  for  which  great 
preparations  were  being  made.  Mary,  since 
Mrs.  Surratt's  removal,  was  allowed  to  remain 
np- stairs  with  Anna,  when  the  trial  began, 
those  two  also  were  released.  Mrs.  Johnson  had 
been  retained  longer  than  the  others,  in  conse- 
quence of  objecting  to  take  the  oath  of  allegi- 
ance, she  crying  and  declaring  it  was  impossible 
for  her  to  swear  allegiance  to  the  Federal  Gov* 


PRISON   ESPIONAGE.  207 

eminent.  But  the  time  had  come  when  it  was 
either  the  oath  or  imprisonment  for  life,  and  she 
wisely  decided  in  favor  of  the  former. 

As  H.  appeared  with  the  Bible,  all  her  aver- 
sion to  the  act  returned  in  full  vigor.  An  Irish- 
man, an  old  soldier,  was  standing  beside  H.  when 
he  was  talking  to  Mrs.  Johnson  about  the  oath. 
The  soldier's  countenance  expressed  great  pity, 
and  at  length  he  stepped  up  to  Mrs.  Johnson, 
and  laying  his  hand  on  her  shoulder,  said  : 

"  Now,  honey,  I  know  it  goes  hard  wid  ye's  ; 
but  it  will  soon  be  over,  so  dry  your  eyes  and 
take  it,  there's  a  good  soul,  like  a  darlint." 
*     Of  course  the  matter  ended  by  Mrs.  Johnson's 
becoming  a  loyal  citizen,  but  not  like  a  "  darlint." 

As  showing  how  strict  was  the  espionage 
exercised,  I  will  mention  an  incident  that  oc- 
curred. A  Southern  gentleman,  a  friend  of  Mr. 
"Windsor's,  but  who  was  a  stranger  in  Washing- 
ton, asked,  on  his  release,  permission  of  H.  to 
obtain  from  Mr.  "Windsor  a  letter  of  introduction 
to  a    gentleman    in  "Washington.      H.    readily 


208  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

granted  the  favor,  and  Mr.  Windsor  wrote  the 
desired  letter  and  gave  it  to  his  friend.  One  of 
the  servants  was  passing  the  door  at  the  time 
and  saw  the  whole  affair.  Some  time  after,  Mrs. 
Windsor  incurred  the  woman's  displeasure,  and 
in  her  anger  she  said  :  "  You  think  I  did  not  see 
Mr.  Windsor  give  that  letter,  but  I  did,  and  told 
all  about  it  to  Mr.  H.,  and  I  have  told  many 
things  besides,  for  I  have  watched  you  all  the 
time  you  have  been  here." 

These  servants  were  constantly  passing  and 
repassing  on  some  pretext,  and  I  doubt  not  that 
every  occurrence  was  duly  reported  to  the  au- 
thorities, and  in  that  manner  H.  discovered  many 
little  plans  just  in  time  to  thwart  them. 

I  had  been  feeling  dull  and  badly  for  several 
days,  and  had  fever  at  night,  which  gradually 
wore  off  toward  morning,  leaving  me  weak  and 
languid.  Nelson  I  suppose  must  have  noticed  at 
morning  inspection  how  sick  I  was,  for  I  remem- 
ber he  looked  at  me  more  earnestly  than  usual. 
I  went  to  my  cousin's  room,  but  the  exertion  of 


MY   ILLNESS.  209 

ascending  the  steep  steps  fatigued  me  so  much 
that  I  had  to  lie  on  her  bed.  She  saw  directly 
that  I  was  sick,  and  Mrs.  Johnson  made  me  a 
nice  cup  of  tea,  after  drinking  which  I  felt  better. 
By  night,  my  fever  had  increased  so  much  that 
my  cousin  was  afraid  for  me  to  return  to  my 
room,  as  I  was  now  delirious.  H.  was  away,  but 
she  sent  for  Nelson,  and  after  informing  him  of 
my  condition,  asked  if  Mr.  Windsor  might  be  re- 
moved to  an  adjoining  room  and  I  allowed  to 
remain  with  her  for  the  night.  Seeing  that  I  was 
really  ill,  he  consented.  Mrs.  Johnson  brought 
down  some  blankets  from  the  Quartermaster's 
store,  and  with  them  they  endeavored  to  close  the 
space  intended  for  a  window.  It  was  impossible 
to  exclude  all  the  air,  and  my  bed  being  just  be- 
neath, I  had  the  wind  and  rain  on  me  all  night, 
which  brought  on  a  cold  so  violent  that  I  could 
not  speak. 

The  next  day,  sick  as  I  was,  I  had  to  sit  in  Mrs. 
Johnson's  room  while  the  one  we  occupied  was 
being  whitewashed,  and  then  I  veturned  to  it ; 


210  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

the  walls  were  of  course  wet.  My  cousin  had  a 
fire  made  in  the  little  stove,  but  the  room  was 
not  dry  even  at  night,  and  a  pouring  rain  added 
much  to  our  discomfort. 

I  have  very  little  recollection  of  the  remainder 
of  the  day,  as  I  was  delirious.  After  several  days 
had  elapsed,  H.  came  to  the  door  and  said, 

"  Now,  miss,  if  you  can  manage  to  get  up  and 
come  with  me,  you  will  be  released." 

Remembering  poor  Mrs.  Surratt,  I  answered, 

"  Oh,  no,  indeed  I  cannot  go  with  you,  Mr.  H. ; 
indeed  I  cannot." 

"  But  I  tell  you  I  am  going  to  take  you  to 
your  friends  ;  they  are  at  the  door  now  in  a  car- 
riage." 

"  I  will  not  go  anywhere  in  a  carriage — I'm 
afraid." 

"  You  are  not  afraid  of  me  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  am ;  you  are  a  detective,  and  I  am 
afraid  of  every  one  of  them." 

My  cousin  whispered,  "For  Heaven's  sake, 
don't  seem  to  mistrust  the  man." 


MY   SUMMONS.  211 

Then  I  asked,  crying  the  while,  "  Where  are 
you  going  to  take  me?  where  you  took  Mrs. 
Surratt?" 

"  Nonsense,"  he  answered ;  "  I  am  going  to 
take  you  to  your  friends,  who  are  waiting  below." 

"Well,  Mr.  EL,  if  you  will  send  away  that  car- 
riage, and  promise  not  to  leave  me  until  I  see 
my  friends,  I  will  go  with  you." 

"Very  well,  then,  I  will  attend  to  the  car- 
riage; and  now  you  hurry,"  saying  which  he  left 
me.  With  my  cousin's  assistance,  I  was  soon 
equipped,  but  not  until  H.  had  several  times  made 
his  appearance  at  the  door,  urging  haste.  I 
took  leave  of  my  cousin  in  great  agitation,  and 
followed  H.  tremblingly  down  the  stairs,  through 
the  passage  into  the  yard,  and  then  into  the  room 
where  I  had  been  recorded  in  the  huge  book. 
Here  I  was  detained  for  a  few  moments,  while 
some  formality  was  gone  through — the  register- 
ing of  my  release,  I  suppose. 

Opposite  to  where  I  stood  was  a  closet,  with 
the  door  standing  open.     I  looked  in,  and  there, 


212  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

piled  upon  the  shelves,  were  cakes  of  all  kinds 
and  sizes,  some  of  them  fresh-looking,  and  others 
stale,  with  the  iceing  covered  with  mould,  which 
suggested  a  green  old  age.  I  could  not  refrain 
from  sighing  as  I  thought  of  the  poor  prisoners, 
for  whom  they  had  been  intended,  and  the  dis- 
appointment it  would  have  been  to  loving  friends 
could  they  have  known  how  unavailing  had  been 
their  kindness.  I  thought  of  poor  Mary's  basket, 
consigned  as  it  probably  was  to  that  mouse-hole. 
There  were  also  various  sized  bottles,  and  among 
them,  one  I  had  brought  to  my  cousin,  containing 
some  very  choice  wine,  which  article  happened  to 
be  on  the  "prohibited"  list,  yet  if  you  asked  the 
authorities  what  you  were  allowed  to  bring  the 
prisoners,  the  answer  always  was,  "  Oh,  anything 
you  choose." 

After  remaining  there  a  short  time,  H.  turned 
to  me  and  said,  "  We  will  have  to  go  before  the 
Judge  Advocate,  who  is  in  the  next  room;  he 
will  not  keep  you ;  he  is  only  going  to  ask  you  a 
few  questions." 


THE   JUDGE    ADVOCATE   AGAIN.  213 

"Please  do  not  leave  me  there,  Mr.  H.,"  I 
pleaded. 

"No,  I  will  not,"  he  said. 

We  then  entered  the  room,  at  the  far  end  of 
which  was  the  Judge  Advocate,  at  a  high  desk, 
writing.     In  a  moment  he  turned  and  said, 

"  Now  about  that  letter  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  stand  up  ;  you  must  let  me  have  a 
seat;  I  am  sick  and  weak." 

"  Oh,  you  need  not  sit  down ;  I  am  not  going 
to  keep  you,"  he  said ;  nevertheless  H.  handed 
me  a  chair,  which  I  gladly  accepted. 

The  Judge  Advocate  then  searched  among 
the  papers  before  him,  and  taking  out  a  letter, 
began  to  unfold  it. 

"You  didn't  write  this  letter,  did  you?"  he 
asked,  with  that  same  satanic  leer  which  I  so 
well  remembered. 

"Is  it  the  letter  you  asked  me  about  be- 
fore?" said  I,  without  taking,  or  even  glancing 
at  it. 

"Yes,"  he  answered. 


214  THE   OLD    CAPITOL   AND   ITS    INMATES. 

I  looked  Mm  full  in  the  face  for  at  least  half  a 
minute,  and  then  said, 

"  You  hwiv  I  did  not  write  it." 

"  Well,  well,"  he  returned,  "  you  can  go." 

I  required  no  second  dismissal,  but  followed 
my  guide  into  the  room  where  I  had  first  seen 
my  cousin.  It  was  filled  with  men  now,  as  it  was 
then. 

"  Your  friends  are  in  here,"  said  H. 

I  looked  anxiously  around, — not  a  familiar 
face  did  I  behold,  but  a  man  dressed  in  a  suit  of 
black  clothes,  with  beaver  hat,  yellow  kid  gloves, 
and  a  little  yellow  cane,  came  toward  me  and 
said,  "  Come  with  me,  miss,  I  will  take  you  to 
your  friends." 

I  followed  the  stranger  mechanically,  being 
conscious  that  every  one  in  the  room  was  staring 
at  me  in  a  way  that  made  me  feel  very  uncom- 
fortable, and  from  which  scrutiny  I  was  glad  to 
escape.  *  On  reaching  the  outer  door  the  stranger 
remarked,  "  I  had  a  carriage  here  for  you,  but  H. 
told  me  you  objected  to  riding." 


THE   KIND-HEARTED   DETECTIVE.  215 

"  Oh,  yes,"  I  answered,  "  I  had  much  rather 
walk." 

I  had  a  vague  idea  that  I  could  escape  more 
certainly  if  I  were  not  shut  up  in  a  carriage,  for 
the  presence  of  the  stranger  did  not  tend  in  any 
degree  to  quiet  my  apprehensions. 

"Where  are  you  going  to  take  me?"  I  asked. 

"  To  your  friends,"  he  replied. 

"Where  are  they?" 

"  Waiting  for  you  at  Mr.  C.'s  store,  on  the 
Avenue." 

"Do  you  remember  their  names?" 

"  Yes,  two  gentlemen,"  naming  them,  "  and  a 
lady,  whose  name  I  have  forgotten." 

Now,  not  one  of  these  names  was  familiar  to 
me,  and  as  my  fears  increased,  I  trembled  so 
violently  that  I  could  hardly  walk.  The  man 
seeing  that  I  was  very  weak,  said, 

"  Had  you  not  better  take  the  cars  ?  " 

"  No,"  I  answered ;  "  I  had  rather  walk." 

"  Then  you  must  take  my  arm." 

I  did  so,  with  an  ungloved  hand.     I  had  been 


216  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

so  hurried  that  I  had  no  time  to  put  on  my 
gloves,  and  my  hands  were  as  cold  as  ice,  though 
it  was  a  warm  day. 

"Let  us  stop  here,  and  rest  a  few  moments," 
said  the  man,  "  and  you  can  put  on  your  gloves, 
your  hands  are  so  cold." 

I  did  so,  and  we  continued  our  walk  down  the 
Avenue,  every  one  looking  at  me,  as  I  had  on  all 
my  winter  wrappings. 

"  "Who  are  you  ?  "  I  asked  at  length. 

"My  name  is  Thomas  Watkins ;  I  am  a  de- 
tective, and  was  employed  by  your  friends  to 
ascertain  where  you  were,  and  if  possible  to  pro- 
cure your  release." 

"  How  came  you  to  go  to  the  Old  Capitol  ?  " 

"  I  thought  you  might  be  imprisoned  there, 
and  as  H.  is  an  old  friend  of  mine,  and  a  kind- 
hearted  man,  I  was  sure  he  would  tell  me,  though 
it  is  forbidden  to  publish  the  arrests." 

By  this  time  I  had  become  very  much  con- 
fused, whether  it  was  the  fresh  air,  or  the  crowd 


MY   WANDERINGS.  217 

on  the  street,  or  the  fever,  or  all  combined,  I 
know  not,  but  I  could  not  remember  where  I  was, 
or  where  I  wished  to  go. 

"How  much  farther  have  we  to  go?"  I  asked, 
when  we  had  walked  half  the  distance  to  the 
Treasury. 

"  Only  a  few  more  squares,"  he  replied. 

So  we  walked  on  in  silence  until  we  reached 
a  store,  which  he  entered  and  said, 

"  Now  here  are  your  friends." 

But  there  was  no  one  there,  save  the  pro- 
prietor, to  whom  Watkins  said  : 

"Mr.  C,  this  is  the  lady  for  whom  I  was 
looking.  I  found  her  in  the  Old  Capitol,  as  I 
thought  I  should." 

Mr.  C.  held  out  his  hand  and  said,  "I  con- 
gratulate you  on  your  release  ;  your  friends  have 
been  waiting  here  several  hours,  but  despairing 
of  seeing  you  to-day,  returned  home." 

"  The  reason  I  staid  so  long,"  said  Watkins, 
"  was  that  H.  was  out,  and  I  had  to  hunt  him  up. 

No  one  can  do  anything  there  without  H.,  and 

10 


218  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

he's  hard  to  find.     Now,  miss,"  said  he,  turning 
to  me,  "I  will  take  you  anywhere  you  wish  to 

go-" 

My  only  idea  was  to  get  as  far  as  possible 
from  the  Old  Capitol,  and  the  only  street  I  could 
then  remember  was  Seventeenth  Street.  "  Take 
me,  if  you  please,"  said  I,  "to  Seventeenth 
Street." 

"  Why,  my  dear  madam,"  exclaimed  the  man, 
"  it  is  a  mile  and  a  half  from  here  ;  think  of  some 
other  place."  I  did  endeavor  to  do  so,  but  the 
only  other  street  which  suggested  itself  was 
Louisiana  Avenue. 

"  I  wish  to  go  to  Louisiana  Avenue,"  I  said. 

""We  are  on  that  now,"  answered  the  man. 
"  Now  to  which  house  shall  I  take  you  ?  " 

Alas !  my  powers  of  memory  failed  me  utterly, 
and  I  could  not  recall  either  the  situation  of  the 
house  I  desired  to  find,  or  the  name  of  the  friends 
with  whom  I  had  been  staying.  Twice  we 
walked  the  length  of  the  street,' without  my  being 
able  to  remember. 


MY    WANDERTNG8.  219 

Then  tlie  man  said,  "  Do  you  live  in  Washing- 
ton?" 

"No,"  I  answered,  "in  Baltimore." 

"Are  you  going  back  there?"  he  asked. 

"  Yes,"  I  said,  "  this  afternoon." 

"  Then  I  tell  you  what  to  do.  I  live  very  near 
the  depot — go  home  with  me,  and  my  wife  will 
make  you  a  nice  cup  of  coffee,  and  I  will  put  you 
on  the  cars  at  the  right  time." 

"  No,"  I  said ;  "  I  must  find  my  friend's 
house." 

I  was  still  afraid,  and  since  he  had  told  me 
he  was  a  detective,  I  could  not  rid  myself  of  the 
latent  suspicion  that  he  intended  to  entrap  me  in 
some  way.  I  had  a  mistrust  of  the  whole  genus 
to  which  Mr.  Watkins  belonged.  The  poor  man 
was  evidently  as  much  bewildered  and  perplexed 
as  I  myself  was,  and  in  order,  I  suppose,  to  gain 
some  clew  as  to  who  my  friends  were,  he  asked 
me  the  following  questions  : 

"  Is  the  gentleman  whose  house  you  are  try- 
ing to  find,  a  relation  of  yours?" 


220  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND   ITS   INMATES. 

"  No,"  I  said. 

"  Are  you  sure  it  is  some  one  who  lives  in  this 
city?" 

"  Yes ;  I  am  certain." 

"  Does  Mr.  Windsor  know  him?" 

"  Yes." 

" Is  he  related  to  Mr.  Windsor? " 

"  Oh  yes,  I  remember  now  ;  he  is  Mr.  Wind- 
sor's brother-in-law." 

"  Well,  now,"  he  said,  speaking  more  to  him- 
self than  to  me,  "  I  wonder  if  it  can  be  lawyer 
Smith?" 

"  The  very  man,"  I  exclaimed  joyfully. 

"  Why,  I  know  him  well"  said  Watkins  ;  " he 
attends  to  all  my  law  business  for  me  ;  but  bless 
your  heart,  he  does  not  live  in  Louisiana  Avenue 
or  near  it ;  his  house  is  in  Seventh  Street,  not 
very  far  from  the  Post  Office." 

"  That  is  the  place,"  I  replied,  "  I  remember 
it  now  perfectly." 

We  walked  to  Seventh  Street  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible, the  idea  of  meeting  with  friends  imparting 


SAFE.  221 

strength  to  my  wearied  limbs.  As  I  saw  before 
me  Mr.  Smith's  house,  my  confidence  in  Watkins 
revived,  and  if  ever  I  was  grateful  to  human 
being,  I  was  to  him.  I  asked  again  his  name, 
which  I  had  forgotten,  and  also  his  residence, 
which  he  gave  me  written  on  a  card.  On  taking 
leave,  he  said, 

"Kemember,  if  you  should  get  in  trouble 
again  of  this  kind,  send  for  me  and  I  will  try  to 
help  you." 

I  thanked  him  very  sincerely,  and  he  left  me 
at  my  friend's  door. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Return  to  Baltimore — Subsequent  illness — The  "  Old  Capitol." 
I  wAjs  now  alone,  and  with  a  sigh  of  relief, 
seated  myself  on  the  door-steps — too  wearied 
even  to  pull  the  bell-handle.  I  suppose  I  re- 
mained there  fifteen  minutes  at  least,  my  head 
supported  on  my  hand,  gazing  in  a  listless  way 
at  the  throng  continually  passing.  After  I  had 
thus  rested,  I  ascended  the  steps,  rung  the  door- 
bell, and  entered  the  house.  My  friends  were 
delighted  to  see  me,  but  very  much  shocked  at 
my  appearance,  for  the  imprisonment  had  told 
heavily  upon  me,  and  I  looked  more  like  a  phan- 
tom than  my  former  self. 

I  did  not  complain  of  feeling  badly,  for  fear 
my  friends  would  prevent  my  returning  to  Bal- 
timore, which  I  had  determined  to  do,  if  possible, 
that  afternoon.     I  rested  for  an  hour,  and  then 


ILLNESS.  223 

taking  the  street-cars,  went  to  the  depot.  Here, 
as  usual,  was  great  commotion,  which  sadly  con- 
fused my  aching  head.  I  gave  my  pocket-book 
to  a  man  I  had  never  seen  before,  and  asked  him 
to  purchase  me  a  ticket  for  Baltimore.  Fortu- 
nately the  stranger  happened  to  be  honest,  for  he 
not  only  bought  the  ticket,  but  returned  the  cor- 
rect change,  as  I  discovered  some  time  after- 
wards. I  was  now  possessed  of  but  one  idea, 
which  was,  to  reach  home.  I  took  my  place  in 
the  cars  utterly  exhausted,  and  in  a  short  time 
arrived  in  Baltimore. 

I  can  neither  explain  nor  describe  the  feeling 
that  overcame  me,  as  I  stood  in  the  dusk  of 
evening,  after  weary  weeks  of  imprisonment,  on 
the  threshold  of  home.  I  had  no  power  for 
some  time  to  open  the  door.  Voices  in  the  ves- 
tibule at  length  aroused  me,  and  in  a  few  mo- 
ments I  was  seated  in  the  midst  of  family  and 
friends,  relating  my  experience. 

The  day  following  I  was  ill,  and  continued  so 
for  several  weeks.      The  physicians  attributed 


224  THE   OLD   CAPITOL   AND    ITS    INMATES. 

my  sickness  entirely  to  the  imprisonment  I  had 
undergone,  and  its  consequent  privations.  I  was 
suffering  from  a  low  remittent,  well  known  in  the 
Old  Capitol  as  the  "prison  fever,"  and  which 
generally  terminated  in  typhoid,  but  in  my  case 
was  fortunately  checked  before  assuming  that 
form,  leaving  me  as  feeble  as  a  child. 

My  cousins  were  the  last  remaining  prisoners 
in  the  Old  Capitol.  For  a  few  weeks  the  range 
of  buildings  used  as  a  prison  was  open  for  ex- 
hibition, at  the  moderate  charge  of  twenty-five 
cents  entrance  fee.  Whether  this  was  authorized 
by  Government,  as  a  means  of  increasing  the 
internal  revenue,  I  have  never  had  it  in  my 
power  to  ascertain. 

The  buildings  were  besieged  daily  by  crowds, 
struggling  and  jostling  each  other,  in  their  mad 
efforts  to  obtain  a  view  of  the  rooms  where  so 
many  pined,  suffered,  and  not  a  few  died — some 
a  violent  death,  others  a  gradual,  but  not  less  cer- 
tain one,  from  the  effects  of  imprisonment.  This 
exhibition  of  the  prison  is  at  last  over,  and  the 


THE   OLD   CAPITOL.  225 

buildings  have  passed  into  other  hands,  to  be 
used  for  other  purposes. 

There  is  to  me  such  a  fascination  about  the 
place,  that  I  am  irresistibly  attracted  thither, 
each  time  I  visit  Washington  ;  but  it  is  hard  to 
believe  the  past  a  reality,  as  I  gaze  on  the 
changed  picture.  The  windows  are  no  longer 
casementless  and  barred  with  iron ;  glass  sparkles 
in  the  bright  sunlight,  and  where  hung  old  faded 
brown  blankets,  in  a  vain  endeavor  to  exclude 
the  penetrating  cold  and  rain,  I  now  behold  gay 
and  warm  curtains.  No  soldiers  guard  the  en- 
trance, but  all  are  free  to  leave  or  stay,  as 
they  may  be  disposed.  The  whitewashed  fence 
is  gone,  and  its  place  supplied  by  a  handsome 
iron  enclosure,  through  which  one  can  see  the 
green  trees,  and  the  fields  beyond.  All  about 
the  establishment  is  neat,  bright,  and  cheerful, 
and  the  Old  Capitol  Prison  has  forever  passed 
away. 

No — I  retract — not  passed  away !  It  lives  in 
history  to  disgrace  a  nation,  boasting  of  its  civil- 


226  THE    OLD   CAPITOL    Aim   ITS   ESCVIATES. 

ization  and  enlightenment.  It  lives  in  household 
memories,  whose  home  circle  it  has  broken 
forever.  It  lives  in  the  daily  consciousness 
of  individuals  whose  shattered  health  witnesses 
against  it. 

No :  the  Old  Capitol  is  not  a  myth,  but  a 
reality,  and  will  be  for  generations.  The  tink- 
ling of  that  bell  which  consigned  so  many  vic- 
tims, not  only  to  prison,  but  to  death,  still 
vibrates  in  the  ears  of  survivors,  recalling  the 
"  Bastiles"  of  the  North  American  States,  which 
rivalled  in  cruelty  and  injustice  those  of  any 
other  nation. 

It  cannot  be  that  the  American  people  will 
forever  tolerate  tyranny  and  oppression ;  but 
the  nation,  casting  aside  the  trammels  of  party 
politics,  will  yet  arise  in  its  might,  and  stand 
before  the  world  the  champion  of  right  and 
liberty. 

THE  EXB. 


EDWAKD  J.  HALE  &  SON, 

(Late  of  Fayetteville,  North  Carolina,) 

Publishers  &  Wholesale  Booksellers  &  Stationers, 

No.  16  MURRAY  STREET,  New  York, 

Publish  the  following  works,  which  will  be  mailed,  free  of  postage, 
on  receipt  of  prices  annexed  : 

Retail  Price. 

THE  OLD  CAPITOL  AND  ITS  INMATES.  By  one  who 
enjoyed  the  hospitalities  of  the  Government  for  a  season. 
1  vol.,  12mo,  cloth $1  50 

DEFENCE  OF  VIRGINIA,  AND  OF  THE  SOUTH.  By 
Rev.  Dr.  Dabney,  author  of  a  Life  of  Gen.  (Stonewall)" 

Jackson.     1  vol.,  12mo,  cloth 1  50 

DIARY  OF  A  REFUGEE,  DURING   THE  WAR.     By  a 

Lady  of  Virginia.     1  vol.,  12rao,  cloth 2  00 

HISTORY   OF   NORTH   CAROLINA.       By  Rev.   F.    L. 

"  Hawks,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.     2  vols.,  Svo,  cloth 5  00 

Library  sheep....     fi  00 

Half  calf 7  00 

DEVEREUX'S  NORTH  CAROLINA  EQUITY  REPORTS. 

New  edition.     Vol.2.     (Gold,  or  equivalent) 6  50 

DEVEREUX  AND  BATTLE'S  NORTH  CAROLINA  LAW 
AND  EQUITY  REPORTS.  New  edition.  2  vols, 
each.    Gold,  per  vol 6  50 

IREDELL'S  NORTH  CAROLINA  LAW  REPORTS.     Vols. 

6.  7,  8,  9,  gold,  each , 6  00 

IREDELL'S  NORTH  CAROLINA  LAW  REPORTS.    Vols. 

10,  11,  gold,  each , 6  50 

IREDELL'S  NORTH  CAROLINA  LAW  REPORTS.    Vol. 

12,  gold 4  50 

IREDELL'S  NORTH  CAROLINA   EQUITY  REPORTS. 

Vols.  4,  5,  gold,  each 5  50 

IREDELL'S  NORTH    CAROLINA    EQUITY  REPORTS. 

Vol.  6,  gold 6  00 

IREDELL'S   NORTH    CAROLINA    EQUITY   REPORTS. 

Vol.  7,  gold 4  00 

BATTLE'S  NEW  AND   COMPLETE   DIGEST.      3  vols. 

(Currency) 25  00  . 

They  are  prepared  to  furnish  any  of  these,  or  complete  sets  of 
North  Carolina  Reports,  so  far  as  extant. 


Southern  School  Booh 


SOUTHERN  SCHOOL  BOOKS. 

The  subscribers  are  prepared  and  will  be  pleased  to  supply  their 
customers  with  School  Books  of  all  kinds  in  use,  but  are  particular- 
ly desirous  to  extend  the  use  of  books  prepared  for  Southern 
Schools,  by  Southern  authors,  and,  therefore,  free  from  matter 
offensive  to  Southern  people.  Most  promiueut  among  these  may 
be  mentioned  the 

NORTH  CAROLINA  READERS.    By  Rev.  C.  H.  Wiley,  Super- 
intendent of  Common  Schools  in  North  Carolina,  and  Rev.  Dr. 
Hubbard,  Professor  in  the  University  of  North  Carolina. 
THE    UNIVERSITY    SERIES    OF   SCHOOL    AND   COLLEGE 
TEXT-BOOKS.     By  Professors  Holmes,  Venable,  Gilder- 
sleeve,  De  Vere,  and  Le  Comte,  of  Southern  Universities,  and 
Captain  M.  F.  Maury,  cne  of  the  most  distinguished  of  living 
Geographers. 
OUR  OWN  SERIES  of  Spellers,  Readers,  and  Writing  Books.    By 
Rev.  Professor  Richard  Sterling,  of  Greensborough,  N.  C. 
Of  the  above,  the  following  (wholesale  prices  annexed)  are  now, 
and  others  soon  will  be,  ready  : 

North  Carolina  Reader,  No.  1 , 30 

"  "  "  2 50 

"  "  3 75 

Holmes's  Southern  Pictorial  Primer,    per  dozen 75 

*'  "         Elementary  Speller,     "        net  cash 1  20 

"  "         Pictorial  1st  Reader,  each 20 

"  "  "        2d       "         34 

"  "  "        3d        "         45 

«  «  "         4th       "         64 

"  "  "         5th       "         1  00 

Venable's  First  Lesson9  in  Numbers 24 

"         Mental  Arithmetic 36 

"         Arithmetic 70 

Maury's  First  Lessons  in  Geography 50 

"         Intermediate  "  1  00 

Holmes's  English  Grammar 70 

Gildersleeve's  Latin     "        120 

De  Vere's  Grammar  in  French 1  40 

"         First  French  Reader CO 


Southern  School  Books. 


Sterling's  Southern  Primer,  paper,        per  dozen 90 

"  "  "       stiff  covers,      "         1  08 

Pictorial  Primer,  "  2  00 

"  "  Speller,  per  dozen,  net  cash 1  20 

"  "  1st  Reader,  each 25 

"  "  2d       "  "     50 

»  "  3d        "  "     CO 

«  "  4th      "  "     90 

"  "  5th       "  "     1  08 

"  "         Writing  Books,  per  dozen  .. ., 1  SO 

Bingbam's  Latin  Grammar.    By  Col.  W.  Bingham,  Principal 
of  the  celebrated   Bingham  School,   Oaks,    Alamance 

County,  N.C.    Each 120 

Bingham's  English  Grammar.    By  the  same.    Each 67 

Ross's  Southern  Speaker.    By  Professor  Ross,  of  Louisiana.  1  13 

Hill's  Algebra  (Gen.  D.  H.  Hill,  of  "  The  Land  we  Love") . .  150 

Darby's  Southern  Botany 1  50 

"        Chemistry 1  25 

Courtney's  Calculus 2  50 

Brooks's  First  Latin  Lessons CO 

"       Historia  Sacra 60 

"       First  Lessons  in  Greek 60 

"       Collectanea  Evangelica 60 

"       Ross's  Latin  Grammar ,         75 

"       Viri  lllustres  Americas 125 

"       Caesar 1  25 

"       Ovid 2  00 

Morris's  English  Grammar 1  25 

They  respectfully  invite  orders  for  these  or  other  School,  Miscel- 
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friends  and  the  Southern  public.  They  believe  that  they  supply 
Booksellers,  Merchants,  Teachers,  and  others,  with  goods  quite  as 
cheaply,  for  cash,  as  they  can  be  bought  in  this  city. 

Address, 

E.    J.    HALE    &    SON, 

No.  16  MURRAY  STREET,  NEW  YORK. 

_#25~  Any  Book,  of  their  own  or  others'1  publications,  will  be  sent  by 
Mad,  free  of  podage,  on  receipt  of  Publisher's  advertised  retail  price. 


